I have been campaigning on behalf of local residents for the reopening of the West Swindon Post Office, along with West Swindon Conservative Councillor Suresh Gattapur since the branch first closed in January 2022.
Many local residents in West Swindon rely on the services provided by the Post Office, particularly elderly residents, and those with mobility issues, and we have been in regular contact with the Post Office to push for the reopening over the past months.
We were therefore very pleased last week when the Post Office finally announced that the branch will be re-opening on Friday 15th September. The new branch will still be located at the West Swindon District Centre but at a different location. Further information about the new branch can be found here https://www.postofficeviews.co.uk/national-consultation-team/west-swindon-centre-sn5-7dl-1-247548/?fbclid=IwAR0gFRA3FHXs7iRqKvkB1XqFNcsQLt41yqVn8EVlk_yn4BxBtO7OY02Q9Fc
When it comes to important issues and facilities that matter the most, I will continue to work hard to support local residents here in South Swindon.
I was pleased to welcome the Norwegian Ambassador, His Excellency Wegger Strømmen and his Wife the Reverend Doctor Cecilie Strømmen, to Swindon last week, along with Business West, Professor Martin Body, Professor Emeritus at the University of The West of England, and the Council Leader. The visit included a tour of Brunel’s Carriageworks building, a tour of University of Oxford and University of Bath's Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies (ICAST) and lunch at Zurich UK’s Unity Place Headquarters.
I am delighted that, after meeting the Ambassador last year in my role as Secretary of State for Wales, my idea to bring him to Swindon to showcase the potential our town holds for international investors came to fruition. I am grateful to Business West for working with me and my office to get this organised and to make it a success, and I look forward to following up on all the important conversations we had last week to deliver for Swindon.
It was also great to be back at Cavendish Square last week, to visit Acorn Community Bank, which is the accessor to amongst others, The Steam Ahead Credit Union, which I’ve been a member of for about fifteen years. It was great to learn more about the work that Acorn Community Bank are doing in our local community. This includes reaching out to people of all ages here in Swindon, particularly those who aren’t served well by the mainstream banks. Acorn Community Bank aims to fill that gap by providing local residents with good financial support throughout their lives so that they can make their lives better, increase opportunities for their children, and help them to manage their money better. The Community Bank is also a good way for investors to contribute to the local community so that families who are finding it difficult at the moment can come to a reliable source where a loan can be given to those in need. This is a great community resource, and I am delighted to be promoting the bank and will be working closely with them over the coming months. Why not take a look at their website here Home - Acorn Community Bank
At the weekend it was great to attend the Swindon Town Football Club Legends Mural Launch with local artist Hannah Dosanjh, and STFC Legends Don Rogers, John Trollope, and Chris Kamara. Following this, I visited Pimms in the Park, a great festival for all of the family, which took place on Saturday and Sunday at Lydiard Park and supported the wonderful Julia’s House Children’s Hospice.
Finally, following on from the weekend, it seems appropriate to make Julia’s House Children’s Hospice my local charity of the week. The Dorset and Wiltshire Children’s Hospices provide life-changing support for children with life-limiting and life-shortening conditions locally, as well as their families. The charity’s service is flexible and bespoke for families and it is also free.
Julia’s House Children’s Hospice provide children and families with the reassurance of having access to specialist care, giving parents and carers the confidence to take a mental and physical break from the exhausting cycle of care. To find out more about this brilliant charity including how you can support their work please visit www.juliashouse.org
