Last Thursday I was delighted to help cut the ribbon and open our brand new state-of-the-art £21 million Government funded Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology at New College Swindon’s North Star Complex.
Alongside North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, I campaigned hard for a new Institute of Technology to be built here in the town, and I was delighted when Swindon was awarded funding to build one of the first twelve Institutes of Technology in the country.
The new Institute of Technology will help more local people into higher-wage and higher-skilled jobs, and this state-of-the-art training facility will deliver higher-level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.
When it comes to the future of our town, I will continue to ensure that we receive our fair share of Government funding here in Swindon.
Following the opening of our brand-new Institute of Technology, it was great to be back at Workshed Swindon for the official launch of The Foundry.
The Foundry has been designed to help Swindon’s micro and small businesses by providing participating companies with free, high quality office space and structured business growth support.
The Foundry offers the resources and support needed to help achieve growth ambitions and facilitates growth through appropriate and experienced business mentoring and coaching.
Further details can be found on the website https://www.theworkshed.co.uk/thefoundry/
Our businesses here in Swindon play a crucial role in our local economy, and it is vital that we all support and use them so that they continue to grow and thrive.
As you may have read in my previous columns, I have been running a Local Business Support Campaign since the beginning of the Covid Pandemic, when so many of our businesses were impacted. This campaign aims to raise awareness about the many excellent local businesses we have here in the town, and the wide variety of services and goods that they offer, as well as showcasing and promoting them. If you run a local business and would like to be involved in my Local Business Support Campaign, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]
It was great to be back at Oaktree School in Park South last Friday, where I enjoyed a school assembly, asking questions of, and taking questions from, the entire year groups from Year One right up to Year Six. We have some very bright children at Oaktree Primary School, as well as dedicated staff, who were working very hard to make sure that all of the children make the progress they need to. It is a real pleasure to represent such a diverse community and such an active hub of life in Park South, I always thoroughly enjoy visiting Oaktree School.
On Friday evening, I was delighted to take part in a truly wonderful evening of celebration organised by the Swindon Humanitarian Partnership at the Ellendune Centre in Wroughton, with our Ukraine refugees and friends. It was great to see a packed hall with residents enjoying great music and poetry, a gymnastics display from a young star of the future, and international standard fencing too. This truly was a joyous occasion, in the midst of a tragic and brutal invasion – Slava Ukraini.
Finally, my local charity of the week is Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service. This excellent local charity is committed to empowering and supporting all victims and survivors of domestic abuse; by providing a range of flexible and accessible services that promote positive change.
Using their knowledge and expertise, Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service inform policy and raise awareness to protect and keep victims and survivors safe.
There are many ways to get involved and support Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, including donating goods and shopping at the Survivor charity shop, located in the Parade in Swindon town centre https://www.facebook.com/SWASurvivor The shop sells a wide range of good quality second-hand items, such as clothes, shoes, jewellery and accessories, books, DVDs, china, and glass, soft furnishings, and household items.
There are a variety of different volunteer positions currently available with Swindon Domestic Abuse Partnership, including helping with general form filling and applications for benefits, as well as volunteering at the Survivor charity shop
For more information about this excellent local charity, please visit https://swadomesticabuse.org/
