Welcome to this week's newsletter.
Firstly, huge congratulations to the Lionesses for winning the Euro's last Sunday. It was a fantastic achievement which will no doubt inspire a generation of young girls to take up football. They did us all proud!
Voting for the headquarters for the Great British Railways remains open for just over a week. Please do make sure you vote for Crewe and encourage your friends and family to do so as well!
Vote here: https://consultations.gbrtt.co.uk/great-british-railways/gbr-hq-vote/
As part of the campaign, a short film has been produced to showcase Crewe’s rail heritage and its strong connection to the rail industry, which is one of the main reasons why we have such a good chance of being successful. You can watch it below.
This strong connection to the railways has been made very clear to the Government. Recently, Andrew Stephenson, the former HS2 Minster, went to the Crewe Works site where Alstom has won a contract to help build HS2 trains. We met apprentices that will work on the site long into the future thanks to the business the HS2 contract secured.
Once again, a series of activities will be taking place for children on benefits related free school meals over the summer holidays. More info here including a summary list of programmes by area:
https://livewellservices.cheshireeast.gov.uk/Services/6640
You can then look up the details (what days and times etc) of ones you are interested in here:
I went along to the Chess Club at Nantwich this week, run by volunteers for young people aged 8-18. I also went along to see the work of the Haslington Parish Allotment Society, who now run a brand new amazing allotment behind Yoxhall Village Hall. Both activities happen because are willing to give their time to help others.
As always, if you run a community group or business, and would like me to come along to see what you do, send my office an email at kieran.mullan.mp@parliament.uk.
Have a great weekend.
Heart of Rail - Crewe GBR Film
Free Holiday Activities
HS2 Creating Opportunities for Young People
Chess Club
Youth Investment Fund
Haslington Parish Allotment Society
Snow Angels Befriending Service
Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 - Private Members Bills
Green Upgrades to Public Buildings
Sherborne Surgery
Traffic Report
Heart of Rail – Crewe GBR Film
A short film has been produced and released to showcase Crewe as part of our bid to become the home of Great British Railways.
The film tells Crewe’s compelling rail story, highlighting how our town’s proud rail heritage, connectivity and thriving rail industry makes us the perfect location for the headquarters.
Don’t forget to show your support for Crewe’s bid by voting too – the deadline for the public vote is 15 August. Vote here:
https://consultations.gbrtt.co.uk/great-british-railways/gbr-hq-vote/
Free Holiday Activities
There are a wide range of activity and meal sessions available locally for children on benefits related free school meals to attend this summer, many of which are open to all for a small charge.
More info here including a summary list of programmes by area:
https://livewellservices.cheshireeast.gov.uk/Services/6640
You can then look up the details (what days and times etc) here for ones you are interested in:
You need to select the dates for the holiday period you wish to search in the 'Search for an event' section - you will then find information about our fantastic HAF providers and the activities they are offering, as well as the details you need to book your place. As it's still a bit tricky, later this week I'll do my usual summary for people to look up for local providers.
If you believe you are eligible for the free school meals allowance, but have not yet registered, you can apply for free school meals online or phone 0300 123 5012 for support.
HS2 Creating Opportunities for Young People
I, along with former Rail Minister, Andrew Stephenson MP, visited the Alstom factory in Crewe at the Crewe Works site to hear more about how HS2 is creating apprenticeships and job opportunities for young people.
Alstom recently received the contract to build the bogies for HS2’s state-of-the-art fleet of trains, which is supporting over 2,500 jobs across the UK, including graduate and apprenticeship opportunities. We both met with some of these apprentices at the Crewe factory during our visit.
HS2 is already providing so many opportunities for our area, with the Crewe site back in the business of building trains – for the first time since 2004. Young people in Crewe and beyond are going to benefit a lot from these investments.
Apprenticeships provide young people with the skills and training they need to start a good, stable career and get on in life. It was great to hear from young apprentices at Alstom directly about the work that they do, and the skills that these opportunities bring.
Chess Club
Nantwich Library runs a Chess Club every Tuesday for young people aged 8-18. I went along to their session this week and met with Percy and Antoinette, the two volunteers who run it. The club was previously run by a member who then went off to University, so Percy and Antoinette took over the reigns and carried on running the group. A big thank you to them for giving up their time to allow young people to get together and take part in a hobby together.
These sessions take place 5:30pm to 6:30pm every week and are free. To sign your child up simply contact the library on 01270 375361 or email: nantwich.library@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
Youth Investment Fund
Are you a part of a charity or organisation that aims to provide positive activities for young people aged 11-18 in Crewe?
You could be eligible for funding as part of the Youth Investment Fund. £368 million has been set aside for projects that will improve the wellbeing, skills and opportunities for young people.
This funding is set aside for only the most deprived areas of the country. To be eligible the project must take place in one of the following wards:
Crewe South
Crewe Central
Crewe St Barnabas
Crewe North
Crewe East
In the last round, local charity Wishing Well received £25,000 to find a minibus and activity equipment to deliver a group activity programme that helps those in the most deprived settings to develop new skills and interests.
For more information, and to apply, visit here:
https://youthinvestmentfund.org.uk/
While this is specifically for deprived areas of Crewe, we are also getting a new Youth Club which is going to be available and benefit young people from all areas.
Haslington Parish Allotment Society
This week, I went along to see the work of the Haslington Parish Allotment Society.
For many years, resident of Haslington had been asking for an allotment site, however, no land could be found. Local resident Bev Moon approached me about this and to the attention to local Councillor Steve Edgar, and after some searching, they found some useable land behind Yoxall Village Hall, who needed to save money on grass cutting.
Bev and Mark, who organise the allotment, were granted permission in April and spent their time to clean up the site to make it suitable for an allotment.
It is amazing how far they have come in a relatively short period of time. It is now a buzz of activity, which many residents have found a useful way of getting out and about post-covid.
Well done to everyone involved!
Snow Angels Befriending Service
This week's carer's support organisation we will look at is the Snow Angels Befriending Service.
They provided a free befriending service for people aged 65+ who are experiencing isolation or loneliness. They can provide these sessions either via phone or face-to-face.
They also provide people with other support, such as with their financial affairs and signposting to specialist support.
Snow Angels take self-referrals on their website. Visit here to find out more: http://www.snowangels.org.uk/services/cheshireeast/
Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 - Private Members Bill
This week's Private Member's Bill we will look at is the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022. This bill was introduced by Jane Stephenson MP and bans the use of glue traps - which was a widely used method of rodent control.
Animals could remain alive for over 24 hours in these traps, with pets and wildlife often getting stuck in them.
This act is another step forward for animal welfare in the UK, building on our already strong protections for animals.
Green Upgrades to Public Buildings
Up to £635 million of funding is being made available for public sector organisations in the next round of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Under this scheme, public organisations such as Local Councils and NHS Trusts can apply for funding to upgrade public buildings with energy saving measures. This can include things like heat pumps and double-glazing.
Cheshire East Council were successful in their bids for the first two rounds of this funding, being awarded 2.4 million and 2.5 million. This is being used for projects such as the installation of a heat network in Crewe, which will provide heat from a single source, for Civic Buildings such as the Lifestyle Centre and Municipal Buildings.
Traffic Report
The following are road closures for the week ahead as reported by Cheshire East.
Middlewich Road (Between Smithy Lane and Pyms Lane) - Until October More information here: https://www.facebook.com/KieranMullanUK/posts/pfbid02et4hYWZ2TemG4QkDpq21N6gaehhxS2SUujMoTHSxGW6mrBvAYhh1KGjVNkbgXy41l
Thorn Tree Drive, Crewe (Between Fox Covert Way to Moss Fields) - until 14th August
Capesthorne Road, Crewe - until 9th Septembert
Beam Street, Oat Market, Swine Market, High Street, Nantwich - Until 28th October
Taylor Drive, Nantwich (between welsh row and Taylor Drive) - until 30th September
Coppice Road, Winterley - 8th August
Maw Lane and Maw Green Road (Between Clay Lane and Groby Road) -10th August until 11th August
Flag Lane, Crewe (Between Wistaston Road and Bridle Road) - 10th August
Rope Lane (Between Crewe Road and Gresty Lane) - 8th August
Newcastle Road (Between A51 and Nantwich Bypass) - 9th August