Out and about

At the start of the month I attended an event organised by the Women’s Equality Group asking “How safe are older women in Herefordshire?”. We heard from several local organisations including West Mercia Womens Aid and Age UK of some good projects supporting older women. We also heard that there is a need for better data and training for professionals who may not think of older women in this context.

West Mercia Women’s Aid shared this video above which highlights an experience that too many women in the county experience.

I also visited NMITE’s new purpose built facility in Rotherwas and got the opportunity to find out more about Herefordshire’s very own university.

I attended the official opening of the new cycle track at Hereford Leisure Centre. This is a very impressive facility and I hope it will be very well used.

At the councils

I attended the Climate and Biodiversity Committee of the City Council. We reviewed the progress on measuring the carbon footprint of the city council. I also attended the Youth Council meeting and heard how members of the youth council had distributed hundreds of packs aimed at helping young people with their mental health at the River Carnival.

I also attended a meeting of the Herefordshire Council’s Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee. We were examining the council’s “Early Help” services which might also be called family support. This is an area where the council is quite effective and I hope that the council will strengthen services in this area to make sure families get support as early as possible.

Around the ward

I went for a tour around the ward with our Locality Steward from Balfour Beatty. I was able to thank him for some of the work that has been completed lately like the relining in Geldof Grove and to point out a few areas that need attention.

I attended the Bryngwyn Court (and Richard Weaver and Stallard Courts) resident’s meeting.

I’ve also visited different residents to talk about the issues that they are experiencing ranging from dangerous parking to anti-social behaviour. I hope that we will be able to make progress on all of these.

Could you volunteer?

I’m hoping to set up a Food Share in College Ward in partnership with St Martins Food Share. Food Share takes surplus food from shops and supermarkets and gives it away. It helps with costs and reduces food waste. To make it work we’re going to need some local people who are prepared to volunteer an hour or two once a week to collect and distribute food. If that could be you please get in touch.