Voting for my Christmas card competition took place this week. The four finalists attracted more than 1,000 votes in total on Facebook and on the website. Jasmine Nugent won the competition with her brilliant painting of Rudolf. A picture of Jasmine’s winning design and our three runners up can be seen below. 250 Christmas cards with Jasmine's design are available to purchase to raise donations for CVS Cheshire East Christmas Toy Appeal. A huge thank you to Crewe Nub News for sponsoring these cards so that 100% of the proceeds can go to charity. Grab some of these wonderful locally designed cards while you can: www.drkieranmullan.org.uk/charitycards
This week the first coronavirus vaccine was approved in the UK, which means we can start vaccinating people from next week. We are the first country in the world to have the vaccine approved. I have put together a short Q&A on how coronavirus vaccines have been approved so quickly which addresses some of the common questions that are being asked. People have already asked me if I would have a coronavirus vaccine. The answer is 100% yes. No safety checks have been skipped and I encourage everyone to have a vaccine when offered one by the NHS.
This week, Cheshire East refused to relax some charges in council car parks in key towns from December 3 until January 2021 to support our struggling high streets. I asked the Businesses Minister in the Chamber if he agrees with me that Cheshire East should reconsider their decision to reject some initiatives to have free parking in areas. I also spoke in the Westminster Hall debate on nurseries and early years. My speech focused on the need for a long term funding plan for our nurseries.
I also visited Mecca Bingo which reopened this week following the November lockdown and I got to see how they are making bingo safe for their players. I also got to launch their Everyone Deserves a Christmas campaign. Mecca Bingo will be working alongside local charities, including St Paul's food bank, to deliver Christmas hampers to those most in need across Crewe.
CHRISTMAS CARD WINNER AND RUNNERS UP ANNOUNCED
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE APPROVED
FREE CAR PARKING TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES
LONG TERM FUNDING FOR NURSERIES
VISITING MECCA BINGO
RELAXED CRISTMAS SHOP OPENING HOURS
TRAFFIC REPORT
CHRISTMAS CARD WINNER AND RUNNERS UP ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to
WINNER – Jasmine Nugent, Aged 5, The Dingle Primary School, Haslington
1st Runner-Up – Mesha Lea, Aged 12, Sir William Stanier School, Crewe
2nd Runner-Up – Xanthe Lewis, Aged 10, Bridgemere C Of E Primary School, Nantwich
3rd Runner-Up – Riley Houston, Aged 11, Wistaston Academy Primary School, Wistaston
All the designs were fantastic, but Jasmine's Rudolph captured a lot of people's imagination!
We had more than 1,000 votes in total on Facebook and on the website. The three runners up will feature on the inside of the card. Well done to our winner and runners up and to everyone that entered.
Given the hugely positive response, we will be ordering an additional 250 cards which will be made available to the public to raise donations for CVS Cheshire East Christmas Toy Appeal 2020 which benefits a number of charities in Crewe and Nantwich constituency. Thank you to Crewe Nub News for sponsoring these cards so 100% of the proceeds can go to charity.
We are asking for £2.00 for 1 card or £5.00 for 3, including UK delivery free of charge. If you would like to have one of these special cards and support this local charitable cause in this way please donate the right amount via
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CVSToyAppeal2020
And email your donation receipt email and delivery address to kieran@drkieranmullan.org.uk.
Delivery should be end of next week. Thanks again everyone for taking part!
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE APPROVED
The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
British regulator, the MHRA, says the mRNA based jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe for rollout next week.
As a doctor people have asked me about how safe coronavirus vaccines will be. Vaccines work by introducing harmless parts of the virus into the body to teach it how to fight the infection. This principle for creating vaccines has proved safe for decades. People have been scared by stories about the MMR vaccine that were proved to be completely untrue.
What is an mRNA vaccine and how does it work?
I though the above graphic was quite good at explaining how the vaccine works.
How is it checked for safety?
All coronavirus vaccines will pass through a rigorous testing process to ensure that they work properly and are safe. Vaccines must pass through three safety trials to check they work and don’t do any harm. Coronavirus vaccines are no different. Only after these trials will a vaccine be approved.
How have they been made so quickly?
There has been an unprecedented collaboration between biotechnology firms, universities, public organisations and governments around the world to create coronavirus vaccines quickly. Record amounts of funding have been put in. Some of the types of vaccines being trialled have already been tested for other coronaviruses which is another reason the process of creating COVID-19 vaccines has been much faster.
Would I accept a vaccine?
People have asked me if I would have a coronavirus vaccine. The answer is 100% yes. No safety checks have been skipped and I encourage you to have a vaccine when offered one by the NHS, confident that it will be safe.
FREE CAR PARKING TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES
Crewe and Nantwich pay some of the highest car parking charges in the region.
Yesterday, Cheshire East Council refused to do what many other local authorities are doing and relax some charges in council car parks in key towns from December 3 until January 2021 to support our struggling high streets.
Today, I asked the Businesses Minister if he agrees with me that Cheshire East should reconsider their decision to reject some initiatives to have free parking in areas. The Minister said that simple actions, such as providing free parking, will increase footfall and support local businesses.
In the short term, free parking would help get people back onto the Highstreet and give retail businesses a much-needed boost ahead of Christmas.
The Cheshire East Conservatives are running a petition calling for free Christmas parking in council car parks in key market towns. I would encourage anyone who supports this cause to sign the petition:
I am also running a survey to gage public opinion on Cheshire East parking charges overall where we still pay some of the highest charges in Cheshire East. A link to my survey can be found here:
LONG TERM FUNDING FOR NURSERIES
During the lockdown, we saw just how vital they were in allowing our keyworkers, our nurses and doctors, our supermarket staff, our police officers and many others to keep on doing their vital jobs during lockdown.
They are also crucial for the development of children that they care for.
This week, I spoke in the Westminster Hall debate on the future of nurseries and early years settings and called on the Government to provide a long-term funding solution for our nurseries.
My speech focused on funding for Maintained Nursery Schools, such as Westminster Nursery School in Crewe, which I visited recently where I got to hear how hard Mrs Hulse and the whole team work to give their children the best start in life. But I also fed back what difficulties other nurseries have had that have contacted me like Little Angels Nursery.
It is good news that the Government have confirmed supplementary funding worth up to £23 million for Maintained Nursery Schools until the summer of 2021. This will provide maintained nursery schools, like Westminster Nursery, with some certainty about funding for the 2020-21 academic year.
However, I do think we need to develop an agreed framework so that the funding for maintained nursery schools can be standardised.
I called on the Minister to improve funding for all nurseries so that each nursery can become fully fledged escalator of opportunity and give children a fantastic start in life.
VISITING MECCA BINGO
Today I visited Mecca Bingo in Crewe which recently reopened to the public following the November lockdown.
It was great to have tour and to speak with the General Manager, Vicky Slater, about how they have made the venue COVID secure. Community activities, like bingo, are so important for peoples mental health and for tackling loneliness. I am so pleased Vicky and the Mecca Bingo team have been able to reopen.
I was there to help the launch of Mecca’s Everyone Deserves a Christmas campaign. Mecca Bingo will be working alongside local charities, including St Paul's food bank, to deliver Christmas hampers to those most in need across Crewe, with profits from games being donated and customers able to leave food donations themselves to help make up the hampers.
Following the visit, Vicky said “We’re delighted to be launching Mecca’s Everyone Deserves a Christmas campaign and to be bringing a little festive cheer to those most in need. It’s been a year unlike any other, so we’re thrilled to continue to give something back to our community and will be incredibly grateful for any donations our loyal customers and supportive locals are able to make.”
Thank you to all those who manage to take something along to donate at their next game!
RELAXED CHRISTMAS SHOP OPENING HOURS
Great news that the Government have relaxed the opening hours for shops this Christmas and January, and have requested that councils allow businesses to stay open later Monday to Saturday.
With social distancing still vitally important in our fight against Coronavirus, extended opening hours will give shoppers greater freedom over when they can shop. Extending hours will reduce crowding and make going out shopping this Christmas a lot more comfortable for everyone.
TRAFFIC REPORT
The following are road closures for the week ahead as reported by Cheshire East.
Maw Lane - Closed until 17th December
Tower Way - Closed
St Clair Street, Crewe - closed 7th December until 18th December
A500 From Cheerbrook Roundabout to Shavington Bypass Roundabout - closed 6th December
London Road A51 - Closed until 11th December
Pyms Lane - Closed
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