Pendle is the most marginal seat in Lancashire having been held by the Conservatives until 1992 and is currently held by Labour’s Gordon Prentice MP with a majority of 2,180. The seat was created in 1983, but is almost the same as the former seat of Nelson and Colne, a classic marginal constituency, with the addition of the small Yorkshire towns of Barnoldswick and Earby. Pendle has some unusual political characteristics with a Labour MP, Lib Dem run borough council, and a strong BNP presence. There have been no boundary changes and Andrew requires a 2.65% swing to take the seat. You can get in touch with him through his Facebook Group or website.
Monday 6th July
I have the day off work to focus on politics and I spend the morning at Whitefield Infant School and Nursery Unit where I’m a school governor. The school is based in the most deprived part of Pendle (Whitefield Ward) and will soon have to be rebuilt because increasing roll numbers are putting a huge strain on the current facilities.
I then head out for a few hours canvassing in the sun with Christian Wakeford, one of my CF volunteers. We head to a part of Nelson that is not currently represented by Conservative Councillors, focusing on areas where we are most likely to find people in on a mid week afternoon.
I finish the day by attending the Colne Neigbourhood Action Group (NAG) where housing issues and anti-social behaviour are high on the agenda. I hear a group of women from part of the town make a heartfelt plea for the council, police and other agencies to do more to address the drug problems that are destroying their neighbourhood.
Tuesday 7th July
Another school today with a visit to Barrowford Primary School to talk to the school council. The children, mainly year 5 and 6, are really clued up about local issues and are particularly interested in what can be done to provide more facilities in the local park and tackle speeding traffic and dog fouling. The visit is much easier than one a couple of weeks ago when I was at St Philips Primary School in Nelson and a child asked me if I would ask David Cameron to publish all the details about UFO’s if he becomes Prime Minister!
It’s then off to try and raise some money to keep my campaign on track. My Campaign Team Fundraising Director, David Brown, has arranged a couple of meetings for me with local businessmen. I am one of the few PPC’s who has the benefit of a fulltime Agent, County Cllr George Askew, but that hasn’t always been the case. During my first year as a PPC, the Association had no staff, no reserves and hardly enough cash to pay the local election expenses, so we have made very significant progress.
First we visit a local engineering firm, taking a quick tour of the facilities before sitting down with the owner for a chat. It’s a difficult time to be asking businessmen to make political donations, nearly all local firms are feeling the effects of the recession, but it’s also hard to find a businessman with anything good to say about Labour. The visit is a success, with a £200 per month donation via standing order agreed. The second visit to another local manufacturing firm is also promising, however in this case any donation needs to be agreed by another business partner who is currently on holiday.
I finish the day by spending a couple of hours in the evening meeting with a group of Asian Christians, to discuss issues affecting their community. In Pendle we have a very large Asian Community, but all too often people assume that all the Asians are Muslim, whereas in fact we have several Pakistani Christian families. They are the minority within the minority and all too often feel disenfranchised.
Wednesday 8th July
Back to my day job, selling insurance, so I’m up at 6.30am ready for the long drive from Colne to my office in Greater Manchester. The poor public transport links to and from Pendle mean driving is the only viable way to get to work and also the reason so few people from Pendle have jobs in Manchester. Having Monday and Tuesday off work has left a significant backlog of accounts and other things to sort so it’s a busy and stressful day at the office.
During the day I get a further update about two interesting trips which I am going on, the UK Defence Forum study trip to Brussels and Baroness Warsi’s project Maja in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Both due to take place later this month. It’s funny but as a candidate you quite often get so tied up with different aspects of the campaign and case work that you sometime lose sight of the big national and international political issues, which drove most of us into politics in the first place.
After work it’s out canvassing for a couple of hours in Higham, a picturesque little village on the edge of the constituency. A lot less casework tonight, resident’s main concern seems to be that they will have to wait another 11 months to vote Labour out of office! I finish the evening off in a local Italian restaurant in Colne catching up with an old friend, Cllr James Pearson who has recently been made Chairman of the Greater Manchester Fire Authority, and who also helped with the canvassing.
Thursday 9th July
In work again, so it’s a 6.30am start. The internet connection is down at the office because Demon have upgraded the line to our office without any advance warning. It takes a few hours to establish that all our equipment is fine and in “upgrading” the line Demon have created a problem that only they can solve. This creates numerous problems because as a business we are reliant on the internet. I could write more about Demon’s customer service, or lack of it, but I wouldn’t want to swear in this diary.
Just after 3pm I jump on a Manchester to London train as I’m due to see Alistair Burt MP, my parliamentary mentor this evening. The train is packed and the idea of doing this journey every week as an MP is not something I am relishing. By 6pm I am in Portcullis House with Alistair and some of the other candidates he mentors, Adrian Owens (West Lancs), Louise Bagshawe (Corby), Jessica Lee (Erewash) and Jeremy Brier (Luton North). We spend time talking about several different aspects of the role we all hope to take on in less than a year’s time, before enjoying a meal and sharing ideas. Having not stood as a PPC before I am not sure how well mentoring has worked in the past, but I have to say I have been very impressed by the process now in place.
I catch the 10pm train back to Manchester (the last one), which leaves 5mins late, however the train gets me back into Manchester at around 1am, about 20mins ahead of schedule. I then drive home finally getting to bed around 2am.
Friday 10th July
In work again so it’s a 6.30am start. Internet still not working and we have the Auditor in today so not the easiest of days! By early afternoon I realise that there is no way I will have finished work in time for the Home Start Ball this evening, so I have to send my apologies. I hate missing things like this especially when they have been in the diary for weeks, but when you are self-employed things come up that have to take priority.
On a positive note I hear my attendance at the Marie Curie Coffee Morning on Tuesday is mentioned on the front page of today’s Nelson Leader. A quite unexpected media hit – I have only been mentioned on the front page two or three times since I have been the PPC!
Saturday 11th July
Work again, but a 7.00am start as traffic is easier on a weekend. Only doing a few hours this morning before heading back to Pendle for some community events.
Today it’s the Walverden Primary School Fair, a visit to the Pendle Martial Arts Academy and Earby Open Gardens, however sometimes I fit as many as seven community events into a Saturday afternoon. I am a great believer in supporting these types of events and last year I attended over 200 across Pendle. At some events you only meet a hand full of people, at others you meet so many you lose track! By 4pm the events are finished and I get time for a few hours canvassing with Nelson Town Councillor Paul Mckenna. Then out for a few well deserved beers in Colne and an evening away from politics!
Sunday 12th July
Another school today with a visit to Barrowford Primary School to talk to the school council. The children, mainly year 5 and 6, are really clued up about local issues and are particularly interested in what can be done to provide more facilities in the local park and tackle speeding traffic and dog fouling. The visit is much easier than one a couple of weeks ago when I was at St Philips Primary School in Nelson and a child asked me if I would ask David Cameron to publish all the details about UFO’s if he becomes Prime Minister!
It’s then off to try and raise some money to keep my campaign on track. My Campaign Team Fundraising Director, David Brown, has arranged a couple of meetings for me with local businessmen. I am one of the few PPC’s who has the benefit of a fulltime Agent, County Cllr George Askew, but that hasn’t always been the case. During my first year as a PPC, the Association had no staff, no reserves and hardly enough cash to pay the local election expenses, so we have made very significant progress.
First we visit a local engineering firm, taking a quick tour of the facilities before sitting down with the owner for a chat. It’s a difficult time to be asking businessmen to make political donations, nearly all local firms are feeling the effects of the recession, but it’s also hard to find a businessman with anything good to say about Labour. The visit is a success, with a £200 per month donation via standing order agreed. The second visit to another local manufacturing firm is also promising, however in this case any donation needs to be agreed by another business partner who is currently on holiday.
From a fundraising perspective if I could give two bit of advice to other candidates it’s
a) if you don’t ask you don’t get and
b) get as many standing orders as possible.
It’s the only way Pendle can employ an Agent, without any subsidy from CCHQ towards his wages.
In between the business visits I drop in to a Coffee Morning at Christ Church in Nelson which is raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Nurses. A chance for a cup of tea and a sandwich, as well as being able to chat to the volunteers and meet some more local residents.I finish the day by spending a couple of hours in the evening meeting with a group of Asian Christians, to discuss issues affecting their community. In Pendle we have a very large Asian Community, but all too often people assume that all the Asians are Muslim, whereas in fact we have several Pakistani Christian families. They are the minority within the minority and all too often feel disenfranchised.
Wednesday 8th July
Back to my day job, selling insurance, so I’m up at 6.30am ready for the long drive from Colne to my office in Greater Manchester. The poor public transport links to and from Pendle mean driving is the only viable way to get to work and also the reason so few people from Pendle have jobs in Manchester. Having Monday and Tuesday off work has left a significant backlog of accounts and other things to sort so it’s a busy and stressful day at the office.
During the day I get a further update about two interesting trips which I am going on, the UK Defence Forum study trip to Brussels and Baroness Warsi’s project Maja in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Both due to take place later this month. It’s funny but as a candidate you quite often get so tied up with different aspects of the campaign and case work that you sometime lose sight of the big national and international political issues, which drove most of us into politics in the first place.
After work it’s out canvassing for a couple of hours in Higham, a picturesque little village on the edge of the constituency. A lot less casework tonight, resident’s main concern seems to be that they will have to wait another 11 months to vote Labour out of office! I finish the evening off in a local Italian restaurant in Colne catching up with an old friend, Cllr James Pearson who has recently been made Chairman of the Greater Manchester Fire Authority, and who also helped with the canvassing.
Thursday 9th July
In work again, so it’s a 6.30am start. The internet connection is down at the office because Demon have upgraded the line to our office without any advance warning. It takes a few hours to establish that all our equipment is fine and in “upgrading” the line Demon have created a problem that only they can solve. This creates numerous problems because as a business we are reliant on the internet. I could write more about Demon’s customer service, or lack of it, but I wouldn’t want to swear in this diary.
Just after 3pm I jump on a Manchester to London train as I’m due to see Alistair Burt MP, my parliamentary mentor this evening. The train is packed and the idea of doing this journey every week as an MP is not something I am relishing. By 6pm I am in Portcullis House with Alistair and some of the other candidates he mentors, Adrian Owens (West Lancs), Louise Bagshawe (Corby), Jessica Lee (Erewash) and Jeremy Brier (Luton North). We spend time talking about several different aspects of the role we all hope to take on in less than a year’s time, before enjoying a meal and sharing ideas. Having not stood as a PPC before I am not sure how well mentoring has worked in the past, but I have to say I have been very impressed by the process now in place.
I catch the 10pm train back to Manchester (the last one), which leaves 5mins late, however the train gets me back into Manchester at around 1am, about 20mins ahead of schedule. I then drive home finally getting to bed around 2am.
Friday 10th July
In work again so it’s a 6.30am start. Internet still not working and we have the Auditor in today so not the easiest of days! By early afternoon I realise that there is no way I will have finished work in time for the Home Start Ball this evening, so I have to send my apologies. I hate missing things like this especially when they have been in the diary for weeks, but when you are self-employed things come up that have to take priority.
Saturday 11th July
Work again, but a 7.00am start as traffic is easier on a weekend. Only doing a few hours this morning before heading back to Pendle for some community events.
Sunday 12th July
Like most Sunday’s the day is spent catching up with paperwork and preparing things for the coming week. In the afternoon I go to the Surestart Fun Day and Big Lunch in Nelson, followed by listening to the Slaidburn Silver Band in Alkincoats Park (Colne) an event which had been organised by the Park’s friends group.
> Previous PPC Diary: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed)