Helen’s Blog

A 5.30am wake up call on these dark mornings is a bit early for the worms, let alone the early birds. Nevertheless I crawled from my warm duvet and made my way to the Russell Hotel to join the members of the Maidstone Pioneer Chapter of Business Networking International at their weekly breakfast meeting. Chapter Director Carl Fellows had noticed my own Business Forum activities and kindly invited me to meet his members to gain an understanding of the workings of this highly successful global business referral network. I am grateful to Carl and everyone for their warm welcome and engaging discussions.

Our third forum event in 12 months attracted many of the most important employers and business people in mid Kent’s rural business sector. The speakers were the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Wildlife, Mr Richard Benyon MP, Leader of Swale Borough Council and National Chairman of the LGA Rural Commission Mr Andrew Bowles, and Hadlow College’s Director of Finance and Resources Mr Mark Lumsden-Taylor. The indubitable George Jessel DL, Chairman of the Kent Agricultural Society, provided us with a valuable closing summary.

Over 100 delegates attended the Weald of Kent Hotel in Headcorn, to hear the views of the panel and learn about what a Conservative government will do for farmers and the rural community if they form the next government. A lively Q & A session then took place and the whole event seemed to go down very well. My thanks to everyone who helped organise the day, particularly Elaine Collins and Gail Jessel from Marden.

Photo: L- R Andrew Bowles, Mark Lumsden-Taylor, yours truly, Richard Benyon MP and George Jessel DL

Click here to read the excellent programme produced and printed for us by John Simmons of the Hop Press in Marden

Recent press has been harsh about the New Line Learning Academy, to put it mildly. Student absenteeism figures make an easy headline but sometimes fail to tell the full story. This school is located in the midst of one of the country’s most deprived areas but has a highly motivated team that has achieved considerable progress over the past two years.

Having met New Line Academy Headmaster Guy Hewett late last year I was pleased to return to chat about the challenges, ideas and opportunities for the school with Chris Gerry, the Executive Principal of the New Line Learning Federation. Chris oversees the running of both the New Line Academy in Loose and the Cornwallis Academy in Linton.

Photo: with Chris Gerry at the New Line Academy in Loose.

Since winning the ‘Shadow Helen’ competition in December 2008 Sophie Jones of Cranbrook School and Blaise Matthews of Maidstone Grammar School, both 18, have been thoroughly involved in many aspects of my Parliamentary campaign. Most recently they were taken around the palace of Westminster on a private tour before joining me in the special gallery of the debating chamber of the House of Commons, where they witnessed Gordon Brown and David Cameron ‘head to head’ in what might be one of the last Prime Ministers’ Questions sessions of the current Parliament.

During the rest of the day they met Jeremy Hunt – Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media & Sport, Baroness Pauline Neville Jones – Shadow Security Minister, Edward Garnier – Shadow Attorney General, and watched the Shadow Minister for Immigration and MP for Ashford Damian Green in a select committee on Human Trafficking. The trip was concluded by having tea with the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP in the Pugin Room overlooking the Thames.

My grateful thanks go to Ann Widdecombe and her Chief of Staff Edward Winstanley for organising this excellent opportunity.

During a recent visit to Portcullis House I was fortunate enough to have a brief meeting with David Cameron during a photoshoot. He is a remarkable man with great charisma and he also has a knack of making me laugh, as you can see in the picture. Good luck in the coming election David. You will make a very fine PM, given the chance.

The Leonard Cheshire Care Home for adult people with disabilities in Staplehurst has been formally declared a centre of excellence. Assessed by the Centre for Development of Healthcare Policy and Practice at Leeds University, Sobell Lodge received a commemorative plaque to mark the distinction and I was very pleased to return to the home to witness the unveiling ceremony. Congratulations to Tracey Haith and her team.

Photo: with Sobell Lodge Service Manager Tracey Haith, MD of the Leonard Cheshire Charity Rosemary Mitchell and Sam Chubb, head of LC operations.

You may have seen in the press recently news of a cross party delegation delivering thousands of maternity petition signatures to No. 10 Downing Street (see right). All of the parliamentary candidates for Maidstone & the Weald attended together with our tireless campaigner from Marden, Sarah Waters, maintaining a united front for this campaign and cranking up the pressure on the NHS Trust.

Recently I was also able to secure a meeting with the Conservative Shadow Health Minister Anne Milton, who was very supportive about our cause. Have a look at the front page of our latest newspaper (below) and go to the website for details of the press reports from the Kent Messenger and Your Maidstone.

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For most of my formative years I was surrounded by farmers whilst growing up in rural Cumbria. In my view they are the salt of the earth and whilst they are not an easy group to persuade, I have always felt at ease in their presence – I inherently like the farming community. The same was the case at the recent National Famers Union meeting in Marden’s Cricket and Hockey Club. I was their guest speaker and during the ensuing hour long Q & A session not much was held back. It was clear that virtually everyone in the room felt that the lot of our farmers had been largely ignored by the Labour government in favour of the environmental lobby. I am committed to becoming a voice for our rural community and I will work hard with them to help redress some of the imbalances that have developed over the years.

Photo: Some of the attendees at the NFU meeting,. Front row L-R: Maidstone Borough Councillor John Verrall, NFU Branch Chairman Will Day, Helen Grant, NFU Kent County Chairman Kevin Attwood, NFU Senior Group Secretary Mark Ensoll

Lunch, in the House of Commons, overlooking the river, with a key note speech from Ann Widdecombe. Thank you to the Kent Branch of the Institute of Directors for your very kind invitation to meet some more of your members and enjoy a lovely event.

Photo: Ann with Morag Welham from the Kent Messenger group

Last week we were at the service of our friends and neighbours in the ultra marginal seat of Gillingham & Rainham. Hope we were of some help to PPC Reh Chishti and his team. We will see you again soon. Thanks for the tea and choccy cake in your health club café afterwards (is Choccy Cake and Health Club an oxymoron?)