It was lovely to welcome two of Swindon’s dedicated headteachers to Number 10 Downing Street last week. Sherryl Bareham from The Dorcan Academy and Jackie Fieldwick MBE, CEO of Brunel Academies Trust, joined me for a special reception to celebrate education and helping every child to reach their potential.
I also enjoyed meeting staff and learning more about the work of Swindon charity BEST – Be A Better You last week. This great local charity provides a positive experience for young people with different social, emotional, and mental health barriers. This is achieved through sports training as well as one-to-one mentoring.
On Saturday, I was very pleased to see a new mural showcasing Swindon’s canal history that has been unveiled at the Sheppard Street underpass, close to the town’s railway station. The mural was created by Luke Gray, with input from the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, with which I have enjoyed a long association and I am honoured to be a Vice President.
This excellent artwork is part of the ongoing work funded by the Conservative Government’s Town’s Fund to improve the area and underpasses. London Street and Sheppard Street will see the majority of the £3m improvements, which includes the widening of the pavement in front of the Carriage Works on London Street, trees planted, and the space outside of the Brunel Street tunnel improved with new railings and plantings. The work also includes a pocket park created outside the Sheppard Street underpass, which links North Star with the town centre, and drainage improvements to both underpasses with new lighting to make the space feel lighter and safer. I am very pleased to see the funding that I secured for our town being used on long-term improvements.
On Sunday, it was good to be back at St John’s Church in Park South, for a Baptism and Confirmation Service with Rector for Parks and Walcot, the Rev Patrick Webb, and the new Bishop of Swindon, the Ven Neil Warwick. I was particularly impressed to hear about the hard work of the new team at St John's, with improvements already being made and further plans for community engagement, which I shall work to support.
I am pleased to see that the Conservative Government-funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme has been extended into the 2024 Easter Holidays.
Around 7,000 children across Swindon will be eligible for free holiday provision over this period, as a result of the Conservative Government funding, which has been provided to local authorities across the country.
Eligible children will get a healthy hot meal each day and have the opportunity to try new activities, meet new people and make new friends. The scheme also enables them to maintain a school structure and to learn and develop new skills and understanding through activities.
With the Easter break just around the corner, families here in Swindon may also be entitled to Tax Free Childcare from the Government, if they have a child or children aged eleven or under, or if their child has a disability, they may get up to £4,000 a year until after their 16th birthday. Eligible families include those who earn or expect to earn at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average and do not receive tax credits, Universal Credit, or childcare vouchers. Please do check if you are eligible as there are annual savings of up to £2,000 per child, or £4,000 if your child is disabled. Eligibility criteria can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare
