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Dear Resident,
Welcome to my latest newsletter.
February has been another busy month with visits across the constituency. I was particularly pleased to engage with young people at both primary and secondary school age to hear about what matters to them and what we can do to support them with their ideas and aspirations.
The forthcoming Bexhill Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair on Friday 15 March is a great place to find out what opportunities for work and training are on offer in our local area. Once again we have packed out the De La Warr Pavilion with over 50 organisations and we will be running workshops throughout the day.
Finally, it was an absolute delight to meet the members of the Bexhill Men's Shed. This thriving group are on the hunt for new premises as their current home behind the former HFS store on London Road is up for sale. Please do get in touch if you can help them find a new base.
Best wishes to you all,
Huw
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Bexhill Town Centre Business Survey
It was great to get out in Bexhill Town Centre and to meet local business owners and hand deliver a survey to high street businesses.
High Street businesses are the backbone of the Bexhill community and are a large part of what makes this town such a special place. I would like to hear their ideas on what the future priorities for our town.
If you own a business and haven't filled out the survey yet, please do so! You can find the survey here.
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Meeting East Sussex Youth Cabinet
It was a pleasure to meet the members of East Sussex Youth Cabinet and Leaving Care Council during the February half term, alongside my Sussex MP colleagues, to discuss their priorities for young people. We talked about climate change, preparing for jobs, more positive activities for young people in their local communities and wellbeing support in schools.
It was good to hear so many ideas from young people in the constituency and across Sussex.
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Rother Valley Railway Visit
It was good to have a catch up with the Rother Valley Railway team to hear how their plans to connect the line from Robertsbridge to Tenterden are progressing. It will be a real boost to the local economy and tourism destinations when this project is completed.
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Visit to Bexhill Men's Shed
I really enjoyed visiting the members of Bexhill Men's Shed recently. This is hugely successful local project has gained 70 members in its first year and continues to grow.
It is now looking for a new base in Bexhill as its current premises on London Road are up for sale. Please do contact me if you know of anywhere which might be suitable for the Men's Sheds workshops, they are keen to find somewhere with parking spaces.
Read more about Bexhill Men's Shed here
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Bexhill Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair 2024
Next Friday, 15th March, the hugely popular Bexhill Job and Apprenticeships Fair returns to the De La Warr Pavilion from 10.30am to 3.30pm. My team has been working hard with the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill College and Rother District Council to create an event not to be missed.
There are over 50 organisations offering exciting opportunities. If you are looking for employment, a career change, training, work experience or volunteering opportunities then put the date in your diary. Workshops to help people into work, including the team Google Digtial will be taking place all day.
For further information visit dlwp.com/jobsfair
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Rother Rural Grant Schemes
A number of grant schemes are currently open for applications for businesses and community groups based in rural parts of Rother. This funding has been made available thanks to Rother District being allocated £1 million as part of the Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund. You can find out more about the grants that are available here.
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Meeting Bexhill and Hastings Global Justice Now Group
I was pleased to welcome the team from Bexhill and Hastings Global Justice Now Group. Thank you for raising your cause with me during a very good natured lobby outside my office - which I joined in via their loudspeaker following my surgery.
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'Stop! Think Fraud' Campaign
I welcome the Government’s new long-term ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign, delivering tough new anti-fraud messaging, and aiming to raise awareness to spot the signs of fraud before it is too late. Find out more about the campaign here.
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Battle Station Community Hub Official Opening
I was delighted to attend the opening of the new community rooms at Battle Station. The entire station building has undergone an extensive renovation and restoration following significant investment from Network Rail, Southeastern Railway with additional funding from Heritage Railway Trust and the Community Rail Network.
The former station master's house which was falling into disrepair has now been transformed into a multi roomed community space, ideal for small local groups to meet.
Read more here
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Mint House Pevensey Funding
I was delighted to learn that the Friends of Mint House in Pevensey have been awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £86,350 for an exciting heritage project. I visited at the end of last summer to hear about their plans for the building that will re-establish itself at the heart of the local community.
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Salehurst School Visit
It is always a pleasure to visit schools in the constituency. My recent visit to Salehurst Primary School was no exception. The pupils had visited Parliament at the end of last year and were really well informed about the role of MPs and how our Parliament works. They had some interesting and challenging questions ready for me.
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Observer Article - Public Meetings & Sewage Pollution
In my recent Observer article, I wrote about the first of my public meetings I am holding across the constituency, and provided an update on my work to tackle sewage pollution. You can read my article here.
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Meeting Network Rail & Southeastern at Battle Station
I had a good meeting with Southeastern and Network Rail at Battle station where I was promoting Battle station as a worthy nominee for the Government’s Access for All fund which delivers step free access improvements to make our stations accessible.
We also discussed a variety of local rail issues including repairs and renewals on the Charing Cross line, upcoming improvements at Robertsbridge, and Pevensey sea defences.
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Samaritans #SmallTalkSavesLives
It was wonderful to meet the dedicated Samaritans staff and volunteers, who do vital work to prevent suicide, at a Small Talk Salon at Kings Cross station.
Small Talk Saves Lives has successfully raised awareness within railway stations and other public settings about the need to trust your instincts and start a simple conversation if you think someone might need help.
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Observer Article
In my other Observer article for February, I wrote about all the fantastic businesses we have in the constituency as well as some important issues that people have raised with me, including potholes and parking. You can read my article here.
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War in Ukraine Commemoration
It was an honour to attend the incredibly moving commemoration event at the War Memorial in Bexhill to mark two years of the war in Ukraine. I was pleased to be asked to speak and reconfirm Parliament and Government’s commitment to continuing to support Ukraine. I also paid tribute to the Ukrainian community and their loved ones who are fighting, and also to the wonderful local veterans for organising our local show of support.
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National Policy Issues
Every day I receive dozens of policy and campaign emails from constituents. Last month, I received a lot of correspondence on the environment, the Safety of Rwanda Bill, energy, and animal rights. I regularly update my website with responses to key campaigns, as well as further information on various policy issues, which you can find here.
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