It was a beautiful spring day on Sunday, as I joined local residents to celebrate the Mela at GWR Park in Faringdon Road, in support of the Mayor’s Charities. It was great to see Alzheimer’s Society at the event, who I work closely with as part of my local campaign to raise awareness of dementia here in Swindon, as well as the charity FearLess, who offer services across the South West to support people who have experienced abuse. With thanks to the Swindon Bangladeshi Association for organising the Mela.
I regularly visit schools here in South Swindon, so I am aware of the difficult challenges that Head Teachers are facing, particularly following the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Last Autumn, I was one of several MPs who wrote the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Statement, to call for further investment in our schools. I was pleased that the Chancellor listened and as a result, agreed to increase schools funding by £4 billion over the next two years.
The government has now announced an extra £3,180,814 in funding for schools here in South Swindon, which is welcome news. When it comes to government funding for our schools, I will continue to push hard to ensure that we receive our fair share in the town.
As part of my ongoing dementia awareness campaign, I am working closely with Alzheimer’s Society to boost diagnosis rates locally, so that we can help more people to access vital care and support. This week, as part of Dementia Action Week 2023, I have been working with Swindon Dementia Action Alliance to promote dementia awareness training here in Swindon. When it comes to dementia, we have to end stigma, we have to increase education, and we have to do everything we can to support those suffering, and everybody who cares for them. If you are a local resident, please do consider joining me by signing up to become a Dementia Friend here: https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/WEBArticle?page=become-dementia-friend
Dealing with knife crime and creating safer public spaces for all is also an extremely important priority for me. In both my role as Solicitor General and as Justice Secretary, I worked hard to tackle the issue of violent crime, introducing justice reforms to ensure that serious and violent offenders spend longer in custody, as well as introducing new measures aimed at tackling the underlying causes of criminal behaviour and improving rehabilitation.
This week marks the start of the Op Sceptre Knife Crime Campaign with police here in Swindon engaging with the local community, working with young people to dispel myths around carrying a knife and carrying out test purchases with local retailers. Op Sceptre also features a knife surrender campaign to encourage the public, particularly young people here in Swindon, to hand in any knives and bladed weapons they have in surrender bins in Swindon, without fear of repercussion. For further information on the location of surrender bins, as well as information you can use to talk to young people about the dangers of carrying a knife, please visit https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/police-forces/wiltshire-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/op-sceptre/op-sceptre/
Finally, as part of my Local Charity of The Week Scheme, during Op Sceptre I would like to highlight the excellent work of the Swindon Youth Justice System and the crucial role of volunteers, who are actively supporting positive outcomes for young offenders in a variety of ways.
The Swindon Youth Justice Service aims to prevent children and young people from breaking the law and to help them from re-offending. Its purpose is to help children and young people who have offended to get the help and support they need to become valued and productive members of society and to repair the harm that they might have caused. The service is multi-disciplined and works together with a range of organisations.
All volunteers are trained, supervised, and appraised (to the same high standard as employed staff), and thus gain valuable life skills that make a positive contribution to the future of the children and young people. If you feel you can help in this way, please email [email protected] to find out more.
