My week ahead 2 - 7 July 2012

Monday 2 July 4pm - Culture Portfolio meeting
4.30pm Elections Working Group

Wednesday 4 July 4.10pm - 'Crash of the Elysium, Crown Street Car Park
6pm - East Ipswich Housing Working Group

Thursday 5 July 4pm - Olympic Torch arrives in Ipswich

Friday 6 July 6pm - 'Mayor at Home' Christchurch Park

Saturday 7 July 2am - Depart for Borneo, taking a group of teenagers to SE Asia to work on a community project.


Last week I managed to experience Ip-art for the first time this year. Wednesday I was in Christchurch Park to watch the ‘Pantaloons’ preform ‘The Importance of being Earnest’. The backdrop of Christchurch Mansion made a it a superb venue and other than every church in Ipswich seemed to want to ring their bells on that evening it was a great evening of entertainment. Two years ago I visited Cambridge to watch one of their Shakespeare ‘open air’ plays – no doubt to me that this was far better. Make sure you go next year.

This show was just one small part of Ip-art, this week I am off to the Dr Who show with a group of school kids! Then Thursday is a day I never thought I would see – the Olympic Torch coming to Ipswich. I have tickets for a number of events and the torch arrival now makes me realise how close we are now to the whole event.

This week we continued with our Operation ‘No safe Tory Ward in Ipswich’ – with canvass sessions in Bixley and Holywells. It now seems the Tories are using the same slogan! Trouble for them is that we have never taken any seat in Ipswich for granted.
We continue to have large numbers of members and supporters out campaigning each week, but we also have time to play and on Saturday we held a fundraiser at Roundwood Bowl’s club- somehow my daughter and boyfriend managed to beat/hammer me!

On Saturday I am off to Borneo taking a group of teenagers to work on a community project. So when I return the Olympics will be about to start we may have had an English ‘Tour De France’ winner and the rain may have stopped!

My week ahead 18 - 24 June 2012

Monday 18 June 2pm - Visit Civic Engagement project by Copleston High School pupils at Tower Ramparts shopping centre.
4pm - Culture Portfolio meeting, Grafton House
6pm - Labour Group meeting


Tuesday 19 June 9pm - Meet the cast of Dr Who - 'The Crash of the Elysium'

Wednesday 20 June 6pm - Full Council Meeting, Town Hall

Saturday 23 June 10.30am - Labour campaigning in Bixley Ward, Ipswich

This week was full of various meetings, some political, some with residents and a number at Sidegate Primary School,

Last Wednesday we had the North East Area Committee, it started with a presentation on the launch of an 'Ageing Well' project. The scheme will be piloted in the North East of the town.

Once the meeting started , I was honoured to be elected chair of the committee for the next year and one of my key aims over the next 12 months is to increase resident participation and numbers at the meetings.

Last Wednesday we also received a presentation from a resident who wishes the committee to back his plan to improve the play facilities at Cherry Lane Recreation Ground. Both councillors and residents were impressed with the proposals by Mr Jenner and have asked Officers to produce a report on the way forward.

Other items covered at the meeting included pram ramps for Broke Hall, a set of goals for Dumbarton Park and then we had a productive debate on how we wish to promote the Area Committee. At times the debate got quite heated, with plenty of passion being shown by both residents and politicians. I also realised that I have plenty to learn on how to chair a committee.

But I left the meeting confident that the Area Committee will bring benefits to the residents of North East Ipswich.




Bixley campaigning this Saturday, we will be back again next Saturday asking for residents views on a number of issues.