I was very pleased to attend the Christ Church Community Centre 10th Anniversary Quiz on Friday evening with the Old Town Residents Association. I have worked closely with my friends from the Christ Church Parish since first becoming MP for South Swindon in 2010, and I would like to pay tribute to them all for their work, which makes such a massive difference to the lives of so many in our local community.
Every Christmas it is a great pleasure to join the team at Christ Church, as they organise and prepare for the Alone at Christmas (Together) Event, which ties in very closely with my ongoing Local Campaign to Tackle Loneliness with Swindon Seniors Forum. Each year, the team invite anyone who will be on their own on Christmas Day to the Community Centre for a three-course meal, Christmas quizzes, and carols. If you would like to attend this wonderful event or volunteer to help out, please get in touch by emailing [email protected] or ringing 01793 617237.
It is always a pleasure to support and promote the excellent local businesses we have here in Swindon as part of my Local Business Support Campaign, and as last Saturday was Small Business Saturday, I wanted to again highlight their vital contribution to our local economy.
Small Business Saturday takes place on the first Saturday in December each year, but the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses, which is why as your local MP, this is an important event in my diary every year.
My office on Wood Street in Old Town is surrounded by brilliant small businesses, offering food, retail, and a whole range of different services. This is a vibrant part of our local community, and therefore it was a huge pleasure for me to once again support Small Business Saturday, right here in my home in Swindon.
Last week, I attended an event in Parliament as part of the 16 Days of Action. This annual international campaign aims to raise awareness and put an end to domestic violence and abuse. These are subjects that have long been of great concern to me, both in my professional life as a criminal barrister before 2010, and as an MP who has campaigned hard on issues such as stalking and coercive control.
During my time as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, I helped to bring in new laws to better protect victims of abuse as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill. These included a new offence of non–fatal strangulation, as well as strengthening legislation around controlling or coercive behaviour.
As Co-Chair of the APPG on Domestic Abuse and Violence, I am now able to follow up on this important work and ensure that the law changes that I helped to introduce are implemented widely and for all.
Finally, my local charity of the week is Dressability, a brilliant charity that supports the clothing needs of individuals with disabilities and those with limited dexterity.
Dressability are on the lookout for new clothes with tags, fabric, and haberdashery, which can be used for their adaptation work, and to produce samples highlighting what they do. The charity has recently recruited a volunteer to run their online sales and would also love to hear from anyone who has items that they could sell to raise funds. To find out more about Dressability please visit https://www.dressability.org.uk/ or ring 01793 512878.
