10:00am Wednesday 28th December 2011
THIS has only been my second Christmas as Wyre Forest’s MP, so it is a little early to start any new traditions.
But one thing I do want to make a habit of is visiting all our emergency services around Christmas to thank them for what they do over the Christmas period.
At Kidderminster Fire Station, Red Watch have been available to come to any emergencies at the drop of a hat through the holiday, whilst the ambulance station and police stations have been similarly staffed by men and women who are denied the opportunity for a big meal followed by a mince pie and a snooze watching the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day.
They do this because it is their job and they are happy to come in and provide the emergency cover over public holidays. A house fire, a heart attack or a traffic accident does not observe public holidays and so emergency cover is vital.
But at this time of year, I spend a great deal of time visiting nativity plays, pantomimes, Christmas meals at hospices, and a large number of other voluntary groups that do so much for our collective community.
As a local MP I probably get to see more volunteer groups than most of the residents of Wyre Forest, and so I am very aware of just how much is done by volunteers.
Volunteers do a very wide range of activities from looking after youth groups, be they Scouts and Guides, the Navy Training Corps, or sports activities, through to working in hospices and care centres with the disabled and elderly.
We have volunteer drivers, people who read for those who cannot see, many community groups, and even people who turn up on a Saturday morning to join in a litter-pick around their community.
I find myself amazed, frankly, by how much is done and it is right that it is communities and groups that get together and that this is not something that is simply done by the government.
David Cameron coined the phrase “The Big Society”, but he did not invent it. What is now referred to as the Big Society has been around for years and is very strong indeed in Wyre Forest.
So for my last message in 2011, I want to say as Wyre Forest’s MP and on behalf of the community as a whole: thank you to all those people who give up their time for the benefit of our community; thank you for all those people who go the extra mile to help in the many ways that people do; and thank you to those people who work in all the emergency services who are always there to help when a crises hits. All your work is hugely appreciated by us all.
CONTACT YOUR MP
Email: mark.garnier.mp@ parliament.uk.
Telephone: 020 7219 7198 or 01562 746771.
Write: 9a Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU, or House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA.
MARK GARNIER, MP FOR WYRE FOREST
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