Fiona Bruce MP is impressed by Congleton Learning Centre Open DayFiona Bruce MP recently visited Congleton Learning Centre (CLC) to see a local service at the heart of the community.  The CLC was holding an Open Day to showcase the work that they do including computer, numeracy and literacy training and help to raise the profile of the centre.The Centre is supported by IT solutions company, Prism,

Fiona Bruce MP has first look at new collection for Congleton MuseumFiona Bruce MP visited Congleton Museum on Friday to have a first look at the new collection for Summer 2012.  This new collection has come from archaeological digs of the 1980s in places like Somerford, Betchton and Withington and offers a picture of pre-Roman life in the area that has not been seen before. The new collection

Fiona Bruce MP highlights importance of positive parenting in preventing binge drinkingFiona Bruce MP spoke in a debate in Parliament yesterday and highlighted the importance of positive parenting in reducing the likelihood of young people becoming binge drinkers.Fiona’s speech was supported by the DEMOS report “Binge Drinking Behind the Headlines – Under the Influence”, the launch of which

MP marks National Apprenticeship Week by hosting conference meeting on supporting young people into the world of work.Fiona Bruce MP, who is supporting National Apprenticeship Week (6th – 10th February), recently held a meeting at her Riverside Office in Congleton which brought together the Head Teachers of Congleton and Eaton Bank High Schools with local business leaders and some of Cheshire’s

MP hosts 30th Anniversary Reception in Parliament for the Alsager based Raynaud’s and Scleroderma AssociationFiona Bruce MP, this week, hosted the 30th Anniversary Reception in Parliament for the Alsager based Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Association (RSA) in Parliament.Under the inspirational direction of Chief Executive, Alsager resident, Anne Mawdsley, the charity based at 112 Crewe Road, Alsager

Fiona Bruce MP visits Newton Court Care Home to support their call for more volunteersFiona Bruce MP visited Newton Court Care Home last week.  The care home, located on St Ann’s Road, Middlewich, has 60 ensuite rooms and provides nursing care for the elderly and physically disabled.Newton Court would like to invite more people to come and volunteer in the home with the residents.  The

Fiona Bruce MP raises passenger safety concerns in Parliament regarding the need to extend ATOL cover and EU proposals to extend pilot flying hoursFiona Bruce delivered a speech in the House of Commons this week on important changes proposed under the Civil Aviation Bill to improve ATOL protection for air travellers saying that “as a result of internet bookings and the increasingly popularity of

Fiona Bruce MP congratulates successful businessman and author on new book launchFiona Bruce MP, former winner of the Small Business Bureau’s Business Woman of the Year Award, met with local resident, Nick Bailey, at Congleton Business Centre, to hear about his new book Customers are F.I.C.K.L.E.TM which will be on bookshelves soon.  The book aims to help businesses win more contracts and “Get

Olympic Rower Speaks in SwettenhamOlympic Rower, Alex Story, spoke to the Congleton Constituency Conservative Association last Friday.Alex Story held the world record at the indoor European Championships with Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent in 1994, went on to represent Britain at the Olympics in 1996 and competed in The Boat Race in 1997 and 1998.Following his rowing career, Alex set up

 27.01.2012        From the Cote D’Azur to Congleton – A free international helping hand for local businesses. Local business woman, Jane Ash of Optimum Social Care Initiatives Limited together with Future Focus is helping Congleton by offering European vocational students into local businesses for unpaid student placement work experience. The students are

Fiona Bruce MP supports schemes inspiring children to study scienceOn Thursday 19th January Fiona Bruce MP met in Parliament with Congleton constituency resident Dr Tony Bastock, Vice President of the European Chemicals Association (CEFIC) and Group Managing Director of Contract Chemicals, as they joined together with industrial scientists and engineers to promote schemes which inspire children to

Fiona Bruce MP Congratulates Don Taylor on Appointment as County Chairman of Royal British Legion CheshireFiona Bruce MP congratulated Don Taylor on his appointment as County Chairman of the Royal British Legion Cheshire for the next three years last week.Don Taylor was a member of the Royal Air Force and saw active service in Cyprus during the EOKA campaign.  He said “I am exceptionally pleased

Fiona Bruce speaks at Congleton 230 Squadron Air Training Corps Annual DinnerCongleton MP Fiona Bruce gave a speech at the Congleton 230 Squadron Air Training Corps Annual Dinner last weekend. She encouraged cadets to emulate former cadet and Olympic hopeful Abigail Irozuru and former Cadet and British Antarctic Expedition team member Toby Stedham and to “dream big dreams and go for gold”.

Minister Praises Congleton Constituency Initiatives in Food DebateIn a debate in the House of Commons yesterday on Food Prices and Food Poverty the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Richard Benyon, praised several local initiatives, highlighted by Fiona Bruce MP, promoting local produce saying“My honourable Friend the member for Congleton, Fiona Bruce,

Fiona Bruce MP meets with Prime Minister to discuss Financial Education in SchoolsFiona Bruce MP and other MPs met with Prime Minister, David Cameron, to discuss improving financial education in schools.Fiona is a lead member of the Parliamentary Inquiry on Financial Education in Schools after she raised this issue in Parliament.  At the recent meeting with the Prime Minister, he expressed his

Fiona Bruce MP promotes opportunity for charitable givingA new service call ‘JustTextGiving’ has been developed by Vodafone on a not-for-profit basis. This service enables charities or individuals to raise money via text message. It is a very convenient way of fundraising and it is hoped it will appeal to the younger, tech savvy generation.Fiona Bruce encourages local charities wanting

Fiona Bruce MP says clocks change could save lives and create jobs in CongletonLocal MP is backing a bill which could result in moving the clocks forward by one hour.Local MP Fiona Bruce is backing a bill to objectively look at the benefits of moving the clocks forward by one hour.Fiona Bruce, is backing the Daylight Saving Bill which receives its Third Reading in the House of Commons this Friday.

Fiona Bruce MP opens St Luke’s Frock Stop BusFiona Bruce MP opens the new St Luke’s Hospice Frock Stop at its launch on Saturday in Alsager.  This new initiative, spearheaded by Zohra Ansari-Tutty, in a change from the mobile library, is a mobile clothes store in a rather charming and eye-catching vintage Routemaster bus donated by Bentley.The bus contains all designer clothes on the bottom

Local Congleton MP Fiona Bruce leads debate on human rights in North KoreaLocal MP, Fiona Bruce, was commended for her ‘dignity and humanity’ when speaking in a debate in Westminster Hall this week to highlight the plight of North Koreans.  The debate, called for and led by Fiona, was to raise awareness of the poverty and suffering of the North Korean people. North Korea is one of the world’s

Fiona Bruce MP represents Congleton Branch of Institute of Advanced Motorists at national meeting at RAC Club Fiona Bruce MP attended the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) Annual Lunch at the RAC Club in London last week to represent the Congleton Branch, of which she is Patron.Fiona said:“I am very pleased to have been invited to this important occasion and to be able to represent the Congleton

Children’s Society Speaker in MiddlewichAelison Wilson spoke at St Michael and All Angels Church in Middlewich of the different ways in which volunteers undertake work for the Children’s Society.Aelison, who lives in Frodsham, and who’s work for the Children’s Society covers a wide range of the North West region said:“Some of our volunteers go into schools to take a small group of children

New Apprenticeships – What’s in them for Small Businesses?by Fiona Bruce MPHigh quality apprenticeships help young people out of unemployment and into work, as well as boosting the skills of the local workforce to equip the economy for success.  So why in the past have small businesses been reluctant to take them on?  One answer may well have been an underlying perception that apprentices

MP supports valuable service provided by Alsager Work ClubCongleton Constituency MP Fiona Bruce has offered her backing to the Alsager Work Club.  Having visited the Work Club in Middlewich recently and seen the excellent help offered to job seekers, Fiona Bruce encourages people to support and to use the services offered by the organisation in the Alsager area.Fiona says “I encourage all looking

St Luke’s speak in Parliament of their pioneering workSt Luke’s (Cheshire) Hospice representatives went to Parliament last week to talk about the pioneering outreach work of St Luke’s.  Whilst it is a hospice for the care of the terminally ill with only fourteen beds, St Luke’s does a great deal more work within the community.Rachel Zammit, Macmillan End of Life Public Health Lead and

Congleton Constituency has more highly commended shops than any other in Parliamentary Best Small Shops AwardsFiona Bruce MP attended Best Small Shop Awards Gala Reception in the House of Commons recently. There were 70 commended shops from across the 650 parliamentary constituencies in the country with no less than seven of those commended shops coming from the Congleton constituency!  The Awards,

Fiona Bruce MP attends Middlewich and District Concert Society 22nd SeasonThe Middlewich and District Concert Society presented a piano recital by James Willshire on 19th November in the drama studio of Middlewich High School.  It was attended by Fiona Bruce MP and Middlewich Town Mayor Councillor Sonya Edwards and Consort Councillor Paul Edwards.The concert was give by James Willshire, currently

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre wins Small Visitor Attraction of the Year in Marketing Cheshire Awards 2011Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre was awarded the title of Small Visitor Attraction of the Year in the Marketing Cheshire Annual Awards 2011 last Friday.Congratulating Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre at the Awards Ceremony which was held at West Cheshire College, Ellesmere Port, Fiona Bruce MP, who recently

 20th Annual Art and Craftwork Exhibition for Sandbach Art ClubFiona Bruce MP attended the 20th Annual art and craftwork exhibition of the Sandbach Art Club at the Masonic Hall, Sandbach.Also attending were the Deputy Mayor George Walton and Deputy Lady Mayoress Veronica Walton of Cheshire East.Fiona Bruce said “It was excellent once again to attend the Sandbach Art Club’s annual exhibition

FIONA BRUCE MP IN ‘CRISIS’ TALKS WITH WATERAID ON WORLD TOILET DAYWorld Toilet Day was marked around the world on 19th November and Congleton MP Fiona Bruce met volunteers from charity WaterAid  at Sandbach library to discuss ways of combating the crisis in water and sanitation globally. Increasing the amount of money spent is crucial, but aid money currently spent on water, sanitation and

Fiona Bruce MP urges constituents to check proposed changes to local polling stationsThere is to be a consultation on proposed changes to polling stations in the constituency.  A table of the potential changes and information about the consultation can be found at http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/local_democracy/electoral_services/review_of_polling_stations.aspx.  The

Fiona Bruce MP opens 1000th Plus Dane affordable homeCongleton MP Fiona Bruce has officially opened the one thousandth affordable home built by Dane Housing in the area of the former Congleton Borough.Speaking at the new home of Jane Davenport - one of eight new family homes built on the site of the former Elworth Court flats in Congleton, Fiona said:“It is excellent to hear how pleased Jane is to

Fiona Bruce MP visits Remembrance Exhibition at Trinity Methodist Church, Wagg Street, CongletonFiona Bruce MP visited the Remembrance Exhibition at Trinity Methodist Church during Remembrance Weekend.  The exhibition was collected over eleven years by Congleton resident, Keith Hassall, who says “I was inspired to start it to boost the Remembrance Service attendance in Congleton on Remembrance

Fiona Bruce MP supports soldiers at Alsager Military ExhibitionFiona Bruce MP attended this year’s Alsager Military Exhibition, which for a third year was held at Alsager Library. It contained a display of military items including uniforms, weapons and items used by soldiers during many different wars and in different places around the world.During her visit Fiona met with former servicemen, Ken

Fiona lends a hand to the Dane Valley ProjectOn Saturday 5th November, Fiona Bruce MP joined volunteers involved in the Dane Valley Project.This joint scheme between Cheshire East Council, Cranage Parish Council and Holmes Chapel Parish Council is intended to improve the area of the Dane Valley owned by Cheshire East Council and that lies between Holmes Chapel and Cranage on the banks of the River

Fiona Bruce MP praises work of volunteers at Alsager stationFiona Bruce MP went to lend a hand at a ‘tidy up’ day at Alsager Railway Station on Saturday where volunteers from the local community work to make the station clean, tidy and attractive for its users. The group that has been working at the station for around five years has ten members as well as unofficial volunteers and has raised money

Alsager Station gets new state of the art help points for its passengersFiona Bruce MP visited Alsager Railway Station last Saturday to try the new solar powered ‘Help Points’ that have been installed on both platforms.  These Help Points enable rail passengers to contact network rail for up to date information about the trains passing through the station and provide an emergency contact to

Successful exhibition for Alsager Arts AssociationFiona Bruce MP attended the Alsager Arts Association’s annual exhibition at the Alsager Community Church on Saturday.  The exhibition featured a number of paintings from local artists including watercolours, pastels, mixed media, landscapes, industrial scenes, animals and even some more abstract work. Many of the paintings were for sale and the

Local Deli sees success in Parliamentary Competition Delissimo Deli of Crewe Road, Alsager was a commended finalist for its work in the community at the Parliamentary Best Small Shop Awards recently.Fiona Bruce MP attended the Gala Reception in Parliament and received the award on behalf of proprietors Jane and Mark Holtom.Jane Holtom of Delissimo said “We were thrilled to find out that Delissimo

Fiona Bruce MP calls on the UK to lead fight against water povertyFiona Bruce MP for Congleton met with Stephen O’Brien MP for Eddisbury, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, in the run up to World Toilet Day on the 19th November to call on the Government to increase its international aid commitment to help improve the provision of clean water in developing countries.

Fiona Bruce MP supports North West Women’s Enterprise DayAn Enterprise Day for over 200 women was held at Cranage Hall on October 28th with the main sponsor Cheshire East Council.Fiona Bruce MP, who attended the event, said, “I congratulate Cheshire East Council for promoting this successful event.  The wide range of support on offer – such as help developing PR and presentation skills,

Alsager One World Event 2011The Alsager One World event was held this year at Alsager School and organised for a second successful year by Alsager Ladies Circle.During the day musical performances were given by Alsager Youth Theatre and pupils from St Gabriel’s, Rode Heath, Highfields, Cranberry, Pikemere and Excalibur Schools as well as the Can’t Sing Choir.Craft and performance workshops took

Fiona Bruce MP Speaks at AGM of Cheshire Association of Local Councils The 2011 AGM of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC) was held in Middlewich this week. Approximately 200 Councillors and Officers from Town and Parish Councils across Cheshire packed Middlewich Civic Hall.Delegates’ discussions focused on the fairness of Unitary Authorities adequately recompensing Councils who take

Fiona Bruce MP goes ‘Speed Networking’ via video messageSpeaking via video message at a recent Speed Networking event held at Crewe Alex Football Club and hosted by Community and Voluntary Services Cheshire East and Cheshire East Council to help strengthen and support voluntary work in the area, Fiona Bruce MP said:“I am really pleased to see this event taking place.  It provides a great

MP signals opposition to High Speed 2 on behalf of constituentsIn a speech in the House of Commons, yesterday, during a debate on High Speed 2, Fiona Bruce MP assured constituents of her vigorous opposition to any proposals to route the North West extension of line through her constituency. NB - (Details of the North West extension are due to be published by the Department for Transport in December).Fiona

MP, Fiona, welcomes HRH Duke of York to Jodrell BankOn Friday 7th October, Fiona Bruce MP welcomed His Royal Highness the Duke of York to Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in her constituency as part of a one day business trip to the North West.The Prince toured the Observatory before planting a tree, which commememorated his visit.Over the past year Fiona has been pleased to support Jodrell Bank in its

Fiona Bruce MP welcomes today’s announcement for internet and other safeguards for children as a good first step – but more needs to be doneIn new measures announced today, four leading web providers (BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin) have joined forces to make it easier for families to block access by children to inappropriate adult content on the internet. A new service, ‘Active Choice,’ will

MP praises Careers, Jobs & Training Open Day in CongletonFiona Bruce MP attended the Big Kiss event at Congleton Town Hall on Thursday.  The event was held in order for people of all ages and backgrounds to meet employers and local businesses, giving them chance to receive guidance on such things as CV writing, business set up, participate in mock interviews, motivational training and presentations

Work Clubs off to flying start as MP’s visit showsFiona Bruce MP recently visited a ‘Work Club’ and found a much needed and worthwhile local service for those people seeking help in looking for, and acquiring, a job.  Whilst there the MP met with Work Club Manager, Cath Barton, and job-seeker Steve Dodd who has successfully used the service.Steve, who sought help getting extra training after

IBD Internet Business Directory brings international success to CongletonFiona Bruce MP recently met with Peter Clowes and Cathy Dean of IBD Internet Business Directory to hear how they had become number one internet business directory in the UK and top of the international Google search!Peter Clowes started building the website for his business in 2003 and is now on his 3rd re-design. He says “what

Mother’s Union Celebrates 100th AnniversaryOdd Rode Mother’s Union celebrated their centenary on 24th September with a concert by Sandbach Ladies Choir conducted by Valetta Crammer.The event was hosted at All Saints Church, Odd Rode, Scholar Green and opened by Fiona Bruce MP after a welcome from Barbara Jones, Branch Leader of Mother’s Union, Odd Rode Branch.At the event was the oldest member

‘Middlewich Roman Festival rivals anything Chester can offer’ says local MPMiddlewich held its Roman Festival last weekend when a huge variety of activities and entertainment based around the town’s Roman heritage were on display.  The event took place on Harbutt’s Field which is the very site of the Roman fort at Middlewich. After a Civic Parade through the town led by Middlewich MP Fiona

Fiona Bruce MP engages in lively debate with Holmes Chapel sixth formersLast week Fiona Bruce MP met with a number of sixth formers from Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School giving them chance to ask her the burning questions on issues that mattered to them.Fiona said: “The Holmes Chapel Sixth Formers were engaging and impressively knowledgable politically.  It was great to hear their views and