Welcome to this week's newsletter!
You might remember from my previous newsletter that I recently met former marine Darren before the 24-hour tyre-flipping challenge he was undertaking to raise awareness of depression and mental health. I got to visit him the morning he started and he and his fellow veteran Danny raised more than £6400 for suicide prevention charity CALM. A huge congratulations to them both!
My campaign to celebrate local pubs across the constituency this summer has now come to a close as I raise a glass to the incredible teams at The Heron and The Railway Country Pub. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, and thank you to the rest of the nominees that I sadly didn't get a chance to visit – you can see them linked below.
Last week the Prime Minister announced that Digital IDs would be mandatory for all adults. I believe this would be an overreach, risky for data security, and place unnecessary burdens on law-abiding people while doing little to stop illegal working. You can find the link below to my full column on the subject on Sussex World.
As the year comes to a close, my Christmas Card Competition is now open! It may seem early but I know how busy schools get in the run up to Christmas! See the article for all the details.
It was helpful meeting with Jason Lavender and Dianne Russell of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Flimwell to discuss the importance of this designation. Given the historical significance of the area, and the AONBs living and working landscape which has an incredible biodiversity, it is essential that we protect it from overdevelopment with this government's unrealistic housing targets.
Last week I visited Bexhill Jobcentre to meet the local managers and Job Coaches to hear more about the work they do helping people into jobs. Support for getting people into work is provided through skill development to help applicants find suitable jobs, with disincentives applied when this support is not taken up.
It was good to meet with local supporters at the De La Warr Pavilion to mark the start of the Fairtrade Foundation's Fairtrade Fortnight. Bexhill is a certified Fairtrade Town and the local Fairtrade Committee works hard to promote Fairtrade among local retailers. Do look out for Fairtrade items when doing the shop – I know it is not always an option for everyone, but buying Fairtrade helps to fund community projects and education in the countries from which the food originates.
It’s harvest time for Sussex vineyards and I had the pleasure of visiting Henners Vineyard in Herstmonceux to find out more about the grape harvesting process. It was really interesting to see how the grapes are pressed and hear about the different skills involved in the wine-making process. Vineyards are a vital part of the rural economy for the constituency, creating highly skilled jobs, while also playing an important role in the local tourism and hospitality sector.
East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service are developing its Community Risk Plan 2025-2030. Your views are vital in shaping the future of the service. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey linked in the article at the bottom of this week's newsletter.
And lastly, please see the end of the newsletter for up-to-date information on local road closures, as provided by third parties.
Have a great weekend.
This week's newsletter:
- Darren & Danny's 24-Hour Tyre Flipping Challenge for CALM
- Celebrating Our Local Pubs - The Heron & The Railway Country Pub
- Mandatory Digital ID's - Political Opinion in the Bexhill & Battle Observer
- Christmas Card Competition - Submissions for Primary School Pupil's Now Open!
- High Weald AONB
- Visit to Bexhill Jobcentre
- Fairtrade Foundation's Fairtrade Fortnight
- Henners Vineyard Visit
- ESFR Consultation - Developing Community Risk Plan
- Local Road Closures
Darren & Danny's 24-Hour Tyre Flipping Challenge for CALM
I was so pleased to head down to the promenade last Saturday to speak with Darren, just before he and his friend, former Marine colleague Danny, began their 24-hour tyre-flipping challenge to raise money for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a suicide prevention charity working to reduce the devastating impact of suicide.
In my last newsletter, I shared details of my meeting with Darren ahead of this huge challenge – it was fantastic to see them begin their gruelling 24-hours.
I also included some of Darren’s reflections on the symbolism of flipping the tyre with a partner throughout the challenge. He explained that the tyre represents depression and mental health struggles. Flipping it alone is too much to bear, but with a partner – or with the support of others – the burden becomes lighter.
Incredibly they have raised over £6400 for CALM, a really amazing feat!
I’ve linked the video I took of Darren and Danny setting off on Saturday morning above, where you can also hear Darren explain the symbolism in his own words.
If you’d like to read more about suicide prevention and mental health support across our constituency, I encourage you to take a look at my column for Bexhill News this month on page 20.
You can also see Darren and Danny’s Just Giving Page.
Celebrating Our Local Pubs - The Heron & The Railway Country Pub
As my campaign celebrating local pubs across Bexhill & Battle over the summer comes to a close, I'd like to raise a final glass to the incredible teams at The Heron in West Ham and The Railway Country Pub in Battle.
From the warm welcome I received from Will at The Heron, to the cosy atmosphere Tessa showed me at The Railway, these pubs exemplify the community values that this campaign has sought to demonstrate.
Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, and thank you to the rest of the nominations that I sadly didn't get a chance to visit, including:
- Harley's Tavern, Battle
- The Rose & Crown, Burwash
- The Ash Tree Inn, Ashburnham
- The Brewers Arms, Herstmonceux
- The Sportsman, Bexhill
- Blacksmiths Inn, Ninfield
- The Rose & Crown, Bexhill
- The Red Lion, Hooe
This campaign has celebrated the vital role these spaces hold in uplifting local communities and reinforced my commitment to supporting our hospitality sector.
Mandatory Digital ID's - Political Opinion in the Bexhill & Battle Observer
This week I’ve written about Labour’s plan to introduce compulsory digital ID's for every working adult in the UK. I believe this would be an overreach, risky for data security, and place unnecessary burdens on law-abiding people while doing little to stop illegal working.
Click here to read my article in full here.
Christmas Card Competition - Submission for Primary School Pupil's Now Open!
My Christmas Card Competition is now open!
Last year we had so many fantastic designs from primary schools across Bexhill and Battle and I can’t wait to see what this year’s young artists create.
Pupils can email scanned copies of their designs to [email protected] or drop them off at my constituency office.
The deadline for entries is 24th October - get drawing!
High Weald AONB
It was really helpful to meet Jason Lavender and Dianne Russell of the High Weald AONB in Flimwell to discuss the importance of this designated Area of Outstanding National Beauty.
We all know how beautiful this area is as we live here! But the history of the High Weald and its ancient settlements, routes and roads which still exist today is fascinating. The AONB is a living and working landscape which has incredible biodiversity that is so important. It is therefore essential that we protect this area from overdevelopment with this government's unrealistic housing targets.
I am worried that farmland that has been productive grazing land for centuries is now not considered valuable enough by this government and is at risk of being lost. Whilst embracing new approaches when they work well and are a good fit, we must not forget the value of traditional farming methods.
Visit to Bexhill Jobcentre
Last week I visited Bexhill Jobcentre to meet the local managers and Job Coaches to hear more about the work they do helping people into jobs. Their work involves developing good working relationships with local employers to broaden the range and availability of workplace opportunities.
Support is available at the Jobcentre for those looking to return to the workplace or find their first jobs. Support includes developing work-ready skills such as CV writing and writing good job applications. The Jobcentre staff can also advise on suitable training and apprenticeship opportunities.
The system of helping people off benefits and into work relies on both incentives to support them into suitable roles in workplace and disincentives when this support is not taken up.
What is clear, is that the local economy needs to be strong and diverse to offer a wider range of employment opportunities, including skilled jobs, long-term career pathways as well as flexible roles which help people balance health, family and other caring responsibilities with work.
Fairtrade Foundation's Fairtrade Fortnight
I met with local supporters at the De La Warr Pavilion to mark the start of the Fairtrade Foundation's Fairtrade Fortnight, which has been taking place from 22 September - 5 October. Bexhill is a certified Fairtrade Town and the local Fairtrade Committee work hard to promote Fairtrade amongst local retailers.
Do look out for the Fairtrade logo when doing the weekly shop. I know it isn't always an option for everyone, but if you can make the Fairtrade choice even just occasionally, not only do the suppliers in developing countries get a fair price for their product but the supermarkets also pay a premium which goes towards community projects and education in those countries.
Henners Vineyard Visit
It’s harvest time for Sussex vineyards and I had the pleasure of visiting Henners Vineyard in Herstmonceux to find out more about the grape harvesting process and the skilled work which goes into making this year’s harvest into top quality English wines.
The vineyard grows three variety of grapes to make their successful wines, both still and sparkling, which are sold across the UK, as well as exported to Europe, Scandinavia and as far as the USA and China.
I observed grapes being pressed and heard more about skills involved in the wine-making processes which include fermentation, stabilising, maturing and bottling. The sparkling wines are made using the traditional ‘champagne’ method which means the bubbles are formed naturally as part of a second fermentation process rather than being added to the wine at a later stage.
Vineyards are a vital part of the rural economy for the constituency, creating more highly skilled jobs as the demand for English wine and English vineyards continues to grow. They also play an important role in the local tourism and hospitality sector, with wine tours and vineyard events becoming an increasingly popular activity for visitors to Sussex.
ESFR Consultation - Developing Community Risk Plan
East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is developing its Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) 2025–2030, which sets out how the service will respond to emergencies, protect the public through fire safety regulation, and prevent fires and other risks.
The consultation runs until 31 October 2025, with results presented to the Fire Authority in February 2026.
Your views are vital in shaping the future of the service. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey linked above.
Local Road Closures (please note this information is provided by third parties):
Bexhill
- A259 - 13 Oct 21:00 - 17 Oct 07:00 BST
- Cooden Drive: 3 Feb 2025 – 1 Feb 2026
Battle
- Marley Lane - 12 Oct 01:30 - 13 Oct 04:00 BST
Westfield
- Moat Lane - 3 Oct
Dallington
- Woods Corner - 1 Oct 19:00 - 7 Oct 06:00 BST
- Bodle Street Road - 6 Oct - 10 Oct
Mountfield
- Kent Lane - 29 Sep 07:00 - 10 Oct 23:59 BST
Bodiam
- Hawkhurst Road - 13 Oct 09:30 - 14 Oct 16:00 BST
Northiam
- Village Street - 22 Sep 10:32 - 3 Oct 16:30 BST
Brede
- Brede Hill - 7 Jul 19:21 - 19 Oct 07:00 BST
Ninfield
- Moons Hill - 29 Sep 08:06 - 10 Oct 17:00 BST
- Standard Hill - 15 Oct 19:00 - 16 Oct 07:00 BST
- Kitchenham Road - 9 Oct - 11 Oct
Herstmonceux
- Under Road - 16 Oct 00:00 BST - 01:00 BST
Crowhurst
- Forewood Lane - 15 Oct 09:30 BST - 15:30 BST
Hurst Green
- Sheepstreet Lane - 10 Oct 00:00 - 13 Oct 01:00 BST
Broad Oak
- Magreed Lane - 8 Oct 09:30 BST - 15:30 BST
Ticehurst
- Rosemary Lane - 3 Oct 07:00 BST - 16:30 BST
