Edward Timpson
Sunday 20, June 2010
Thank you...
Dear Resident,
Thank you for your support at the election. I'm delighted to have the privilege of representing you again, and you can my thank you note to constituents below.
This is my first email to you for a while, but I am pleased to say that we are now settled in Westminster following a very turbulent few weeks.
I have included more information about the Coalition Government below, and a quick roundup of some news that I've been involved in recently.
I also wanted to remind you that my office is open for business at 30 Victoria Street, Crewe CW1 2JE.
The telephone number remains 01270 501725 and you can email here.
With best wishes,
Edward Timpson
Member of Parliament for Crewe & Nantwich
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Coalition Programme for Government
After the negotiation process was completed, the Coalition Government of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties published its agreement.
There is a browsable version online, and you can access it by clicking here.
These plans are inspired by the values of freedom, fairness and responsibility, and a shared desire to work in the national interest. Working together, we are confident that we can take the country through difficult times to better days ahead.
We believe the programme can deliver radical, reforming government, a stronger society, a smaller state and power and responsibility in the hands of every citizen. Great change and real progress lie ahead.
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I have recently...
* Visited Bentley Motors with Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business Innovation & Skills, in Crewe
* Welcomed Her Majesty the Queen to Crewe & Nantwich at Crewe Station
* Met with Secretary & Minister of State for Transport to discuss future of Crewe Railway Station
* Met with local business Dial-A-Ride, in Crewe
* Met with representatives of Cheshire East Council, Assurance Services Office, to discuss projects in Crewe & Nantwich
* Presented Nomads Rugby Club Annual Awards Ceremony, in Nantwich
* Held four Constituency Surgeries, in Crewe
* Started the Weaver Rotary Club Classic Car Rally, in Nantwich
* Attended Crewe Flyers Swimming Club Gala, at Crewe Swimming Pool
* Attended Cheshire East Council Fostering Roadshow, in Nantwich
* Met with Chief Executive of Cheshire East Council, in Sandbach
* Visited St Mary's Catholic Primary School's Art Exhibition, in Crewe
* Attended a welcoming reception with the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, London
* Met with North West Conservative MP's in Parliament
* Attended All Party Parliamentary Group for Sure Start in Parliament
* Met with St Mary's Catholic Primary School on their tour of Parliament
* Met with Cheshire East Council regarding South Cheshire College building development
* Met with Inspector Andrew Smith, as the new head of Crewe Neighbourhood Policing Unit
* Attended National Bookstart Day at Nantwich Library
* Visited local company Park Foster Care Agency, in Crewe
* Met with the Head of Pear Tree Primary School to discuss SATs
* Meet with local business Agile Solutions about their work in Crewe and Nantwich
* Judged Mecca Bingo's 'Mecca's Got Talent' competition, at the bingo hall in Crewe
* Hurled the opening pie at Wybunbury's Fig Pie Competition
* Attended All Party Parliamentary Group for Rail, in Parliament
* Met with the University & College Union about the future for young people
* Met with representatives from Bombardier, in London
* Met with Minister of State for Veterans regarding local atomic veterans compensation, at the Ministry of Defence
* Met constituents at Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy lobby of Parliament
* Attended Thrombosis Awareness reception, in Parliament
* Attended National Carers' Week reception, in Parliament
* Attended National Eye Health Week reception, in Parliament
* Met with representatives from Lyceum Theatre, in Crewe to discuss the future of the theatre
* Met with Cheshire East Council to discuss Crewe Visioning Project
* Met with Head of Reaseheath College, in Nantwich
* Met with North West Ambulance Service regarding Community First Responders in Crewe & Nantwich
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Primebake bakery seeks almost 50 workers amid rising demand
The Sentinel
ALMOST 50 jobs are on offer at a bread-making factory.
New Primebake is expanding its operation in Nantwich and needs more workers to meet demand.
The firm, which expanded into a new factory in nearby Crewe two years ago, is advertising for production and hygiene staff as it continues to grow.
Directors are looking to take on 49 new workers at the firm's base in Whitchurch Road.
The company, owned by Icelandic fresh food group Bakkavor, opened its second South Cheshire factory in Crewe in 2008, but managers say demand has continued to increase.
Up for grabs at the Nantwich factory are positions for production and hygiene operatives, all of whom will be required to work four on/four off rotating day and night shifts.
Starting pay for production workers is £6.73 per hour, rising to £7.30 once training is complete.
The hygiene staff will ensure the factory and machines are kept to high standards of cleanliness at all times at a salary of £7.30 per hour, rising to £8.02 after training.
New Primebake human resources manager Helen Steadman said the firm advertised locally, through the JobCentre and had also recruited from its network of temporary workers.
"It's very much about an increase in demand," she added. "We supply to most of the major retailers and there is a big demand for our products, which is good news for us.
"The business was expanded a couple of years ago when the new site in Crewe was opened, but even that has not been sufficient to keep up with demand and that is why we are looking for the additional people here at Nantwich."
New Primebake, which makes speciality breads, such as chilled garlic bread for major UK retailers, currently employs around 250 people in Nantwich and 150 in Crewe. It also has a factory in Barton, North Lincolnshire.
The company was bought out by Bakkavor in 2006.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson was pleased to hear about new jobs for the area.
He said: "Crewe and Nantwich need new jobs. I'm delighted New Primebake is going from strength to strength and hope that others in industry will, increasingly, sit up and take notice of what we have to offer them here in our part of Cheshire."
Nantwich resident Gavin Palin said any jobs would be welcomed in the area.
The 42-year-old, of Barony Road, said: "There seem to be less and less jobs available so it can only be a good thing if an employer can create more than 40 new jobs, whether it's in Nantwich or Crewe. It's good news for the town."
Anyone interested in applying for the jobs can call Helen Steadman on 01270 782 015.
© 2010 The Sentinel
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Bingo gets MP Vote
Online Bingo Club
The game of bingo has got a least one vote from conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Edward Timpson. Mr Timpson revealed to the guardian newspaper that he often enjoys playing bingo at his local land based club with his mum and he has also been campaigning to get tax for bingo on a more level pegging gaming field.
In the last pre-budget report we did see the UK government give some tax concessions to the bingo industry by reducing tax from 22% to 20%, but when you consider that other forms of gaming still sit at the 15% tax threshold including the game of online bingo……….land based bingo clubs are still being penalised in this area.
As we know many land based clubs have now closed their doors for the last time over recent years, but things do seem to have stabilised a bit in 2010. There has not been nowhere near as many bingo club closures this year, compared to the same time in 2009 for instance, so we can only hope this will carry on into the future.
Mecca Bingo themselves have been lobbing the government for years with regards to their unfair bingo tax regime. Bingo players themselves even got so fed up with one bingo club after the other closing down that they organised a protest against parliament last year. This saw many players hit the streets of London……..bingo placards in hand.
The game of land based bingo have been going through lots of turbulent times lately and it has to be said that the game of online bingo has also had an impact on (player numbers) in clubs………….the smoking ban in all public places did not go down well with lots of bingo players either.
Land based bingo clubs have been trying to combat the (smoking ban) rule by building outdoor smoking enclosures for their members and at one Gala Bingo club players are even able to smoke and play party bingo again…….but outside the premises.
Speaking about bingo tax, Mr Timpson said, “Everybody I’ve spoken to can see the tax is unfair to the industry and effectively discriminates against women and older people,”
© 2009 Online Bingo club
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Fury over claims politicians hi-jacked Crewe mast campaign
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
FURIOUS phone mast campaigners have accused Labour politicans of trying to hijack their campaign for political gain in the election.
Members of the no2o2 campaign group, who have fought tirelessly against a mast being set up on the corner of Readesdale Avenue and Valley Road in Wistaston close to three schools and two nurseries, were incensed when Labour put leaflets through their doors implying they would offer more support than the Tories.
The leaflet quoted one unnamed resident as saying they were convinced if Gwyneth Dunwoody was still MP and not Tory Edward Timpson, then the mast would never have received the go-ahead.
Furious campaigners distributed their own leaflets attacking Labour for their lack of support,.
The campaigners’ leaftlet said: “Your local MP Mr Edward Timpson has given us his full support from the very beginning of our campaign.”
The campaigners said they were not a political group and recognised it was the Conservative-controlled Cheshire East Council which had given the mast the go-ahead but re-iterated the only support had come from the local Tory MP.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Conservative MP Edward Timpson's acceptance speech from the General Election night
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
“AS your MP over the past two years I’ve spent as much time as possible in the constituency getting to thoroughly understand what makes it tick.
“I’ve had the opportunity to help local residents in the over 3,000 cases that have come through my office.
“I’ve learnt that it is my job to listen to the people and then act on their behalf.
“In a short time, we’ve worked hard and achieved much together: We’ve fought to save our Mail Centre and tax office, worked across the community to reinstate fully our First Responders, and have created the political will to start up a National Railway Skills Academy in Crewe.
“Yet, although we have made a difference locally, nationally it is going to be hard to reverse all the damage already done by the Labour government.
“But under a Conservative-led government we’ll create the environment to allow enterprise to prosper and jobs to grow.
That is what Crewe and Nantwich will need mostas we work together to transform it into the destination for business that we know it could and should be.
“There is much to do and I look forward to getting back to work.
“It’s an honour it is to to represent you again and be your voice in Parliament.
I repeat what I said at the by-election: I’ll continue to be on your side and I won't let you down.
“It's been a long night and a tough campaign, but now it’s time to get back to work.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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'A fulfilling and humbling experience'
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Conservative candidate Edward Timpson secured the Crewe and Nantwich seat for the Tories – with an increased vote but a smaller majority.
Mr Timpson polled 23,420 votes in Thursday’s General Election to keep the sear he took from Labour in the 2008 by-election.
Labour’s David Williams was second with 17,374 and Roy Wood of the Liberal Democrats came in third with 7,656 votes.
All three main parties saw an increase in their vote compared to two years ago.
In 2008 Mr Timpson polled 20,539 for the Tories, Labour got 12,679 and the Lib Dems received 6,040.
Speaking to the Chronicle just after the result was declared at around 3.25am, victorious Mr Timpson was jubilant.
“It’s been a very different experience from that of the by-election but one which I treasure more.
“In the by-election people didn’t know me as well as they know me now.”
The Tory MP said his track record had stood him in good stead.
“I’ve stood this time on my record as the MP for the last two years – so another 3,000 people voting for me than in the by-election is a far more humbling experience for me.
“This time people judged me on who I am and what I’ve done for them rather than the reasons in the by-election,” he said.
“This wasn’t a protest vote, there was much more to it than that. I think that in Crewe and Nantwich it’s not just about the party that weighs heavily on people’s minds.
“When they vote locally it’s about who represents them – and that’s why, for me personally, it’s a far more fulfilling and humbling experience.”
Speaking as the national picture was still emerging, Mr Timpson said; “It’s a clear rejection of the Labour Government and a vote for change.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Letter to the people of Crewe and Nantwich
Edward Timpson, Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Well, it's over. After a long night on 6th May and a tough campaign, the local Conservative Party has returned a Conservative MP to Crewe and Nantwich in a General Election for the first time ever.
Although the by-election was a huge breakthrough for the Party, to retain the seat with a 3,000 increase in votes on the back of a locally run and locally driven campaign is an even bigger result.
The fact is, if it wasn't for the truly amazing support given to me by local people over the last two years, and especially the last four weeks, none of it would ever have been possible.
Your effort has been immense, and I am personally extremely grateful as well as humbled by all your help. You, my constituents, will remain my number one priority above all other things, including my own Party.
So a huge thank you from me, Julia and my family.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Election Special: Conservatives hold Crewe & Nantwich
Staffs Live (extract)
Edward Timpson spoke of his delight at retaining his Crewe & Nantwich seat.
Mr Timpson, who only arrived at the count at Nantwich Civic Hall just minutes before the 3.30am declaration, won with a 6,046 majority.
He paid tribute to the people of Crewe and Nantwich – and blasted a Labour Government, who he blames for leaving the area with an uphill battle.
“Two years on and it couldn’t be clearer that voters at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election had it right, and Gordon Brown had it wrong,” he said.
“As MP I’ve spent as much time as possible in the constituency, getting to understand what makes Crewe and Nantwich tick.
“Whether that’s visiting schools and day care centres, or meeting people in their own home or on the street.
“I’ve made many friends and had the opportunity to help local residents with more than 3,000 cases that have come through my office.
“But nationally it’s going to be hard to reverse all the damage done by the Labour Government in Crewe and Nantwich.
“There’s much to do and I look forward to getting back to work.
“It’s an honour to represent the area and to be their voice in Parliament, and it will continue to be.”
© 2010 StaffsLive
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Edward Timpson reveals delight at regaining Nantwich seat
Nantwichnews
Edward Timpson spoke of his delight at retaining his Crewe & Nantwich seat in today’s General Election.
Mr Timpson, who only arrived at the count at Nantwich Civic Hall just minutes before the 3.30am declaration, won with a 6,046 majority.
He paid tribute to the people of Crewe and Nantwich – and blasted a Labour Government he blames for leaving the area with an uphill battle.
Mr Timpson told Nantwichnews: “Two years on and it couldn’t be clearer that voters at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election had it right, and Gordon Brown had it wrong.
“As MP I’ve spent as much time as possible in the constituency, getting to understand what makes Crewe and Nantwich tick.
“Whether that’s visiting schools and day care centres, or meeting people in their own home or on the street.
“I’ve made many friends and had the opportunity to help local residents with more than 3,000 cases that have come through my office.
“But nationally it’s going to be hard to reverse all the damage done by the Labour Government in Crewe and Nantwich.
“There’s much to do and I look forward to getting back to work.
“It’s an honour to represent the area and to be their voice in Parliament, and it will continue to be.”
© 2010 Nantwichnews
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Timpson 'humbled' by repeat victory
The Sentinel (extract)
TORY Edward Timpson has been given extra time to turn Crewe and Nantwich around after being re-elected.
He took the seat two years ago at a by-election following the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody.
The veteran had maintained a powerful majority for Labour for 34 years, but the by-election was a convincing victory for Mr Timpson as he polled nearly 8,000 more votes than Labour candidate Tamsin Dunwoody, Mrs Dunwoody's daughter.
His majority slipped to more than 6,000 this morning, but he still polled 23,420 votes compared with Labour's 17,374.
Mr Timpson, who arrived at the count at Nantwich Civic Hall just minutes before being declared the winner, said: "Two years on, it can't be clearer that at the by-election the voters of Crewe and Nantwich got it right and Gordon Brown got it wrong, but one of the things he did do was give me the chance to be your MP.
"This is a far more humbling win for me because they are voting for my record. There is lots to do and I look forward to getting back to work."
During the last two years, Mr Timpson has battled to save Crewe's Royal Mail sorting office, secured funding for the regeneration of the town's Lyceum Square and helped Nantwich's volunteer ambulance service.
© 2010 The Sentinel
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Conservative MP Takes Time Out For Bingo
Bingo Supermarket
The Crewe and Nantwich Conservative candidate Edward Timpson favoured bingo over politics. The Edward took his mum and his political team on a rare break from the busy campaign to the local Mecca Bingo last Friday.
Mr Timpson has been a member of the club for a few years and enjoys the odd game of bingo but many of his visits to the club have been in relation to work rather than for pleasure. While the Conservative policy in relation to a refume of the bingo tax laws is uncertain, the Crewe Candidate has been campaigning in support of the bingo industry. He has also been lobbying the government over the last year to get the bingo tax rate reduced back to 15 per cent, following the Labour decision to increase it initially to 22 per cent and finally agreeing to it remaining at 20 per cent.
Advocates for change want the same level of tax for the whole of the gaming industry at 15 per cent. In theory given the popularity of online bingo and that pays no UK bingo tax the Governmnet should not be any worse off.
Speaking afterwards Mr Timpson said: “I’ve enjoyed another fun evening here today, and bumped into many people I know, some of whom I have helped in my surgeries!
“Everybody I’ve spoken to can see the tax is unfair to the industry and effectively discriminates against women and older people.”
Conservative leader, David Cameron, has not made the party plans clear in this matter and as per the experience with Labour, if the Conservatives were to win, the likes of Mr Timpson, may be pressured into supporting the party rather than bingo. After extensive lengths of lobbying the Government last year and gaining the backing of over 100 MP's, the industry felt that it was let down as Labour MP's backed out of their agreed positions.
© 2010 Bingo Supermarket
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Tory MP plays bingo before election
Bingo News
CREWE, UK – The Tory candidate in Crewe and Nantwich has spent the week run up to the election playing bingo in his local Mecca Bingo hall.
Edward Timpson visited the Mecca Bingo hall in Crewe on the Friday before the election and even took his mother and the team from his office to join in the fun.
Timpson has been a leading campaigner for the reduction in tax on bingo and on his personal website even boasts on the day of the election that he has put his “constituents before my party, and [has] rebelled on important local issues like reducing bingo taxation for 20,000 Crewe and Nantwich bingo players”.
He told the Crewe Guardian: “I’ve enjoyed another fun evening here today, and bumped into many people I know, some of whom I have helped in my surgeries! Everybody I’ve spoken to can see the tax is unfair to the industry and effectively discriminates against women and older people.”
Timpson, 36, is apparently a reasonably regular visitor to the Crewe Mecca Bingo hall following his win in a by-election in May 2008. He comes from the Timpson shoe repair family and was a barrister before being elected a MP, in a contest which was marked by a campaign in which Labour branded him a ‘toff'.
Timpson is rated a 2/5 chance (bet £5 to make £2 profit) with Ladbrokes in the Crewe and Nantwich election betting odds.
Timpson recently ran his eighth London Marathon in four hours and 26 minutes.
© 2010 Bingo News
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Crewe and Nantwich Conservative candidate's election posters vandalised
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
CREWE and Nantwich Conservatives have contacted Cheshire Police after several Edward Timpson election posters were vandalised.
A spokesman for the Tories said more than 60 of the Conservative candidate’s posters had been stolen or vandalised.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Home is where my heart is, says Timpson
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
After the election, Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson is back at work in the constituency. Chronicle reporter Belinda Ryan spoke to him about the new coalition government and his priorities for the future.
“Having Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister is not something I ever envisaged, but that demonstrates we’re going into a new era,” said Edward Timpson.
It might not be the government the re-elected MP for Crewe and Nantwich and his Conservative colleagues would have liked – but it’s what they’ve got.
And if the first peace-time coalition government for about 80 years sits uncomfortably with him, he doesn’t let it show.
“Like all the main parties standing, we stood on a manifesto in the hope we’d be able to deliver it as a majority government,” said Mr Timpson.
“The Conservatives have been waiting a long time – 13 years –to have that opportunity and so, of course, it’s disappointing we weren’t able to make it far enough to form that government.
“What we are in now through is potentially a new political climate. It’s a seismic shift in the way we expect to see politics done in this country.
“It’s a completely new venture and it’s going to take some getting used to. We have to remember that it’s not the Conservatives who are in control, it’s a Conservative-Liberal Democrat government in control.”
Mr Timpson acknowledged “there are inevitably going to be bumps along the ride” but pointed out that the two parties did in fact have “quite a few policy areas of agreement.” These include scrapping ID cards, freeing up schools and the pupils premium.
But there are huge differences in political views too.
“Other issues we know came up in the debates here locally, like Trident, like immigration, like welfare reform,” said Mr Timpson. “We’ve got to come to a compromise.”
Mr Timpson is still a relatively new face in the House of Commons – he’s only been an MP for two years.
But already he’s been tipped by former Tory party chairman Eric Pickles – now the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government as having a bright future ahead of him.
So does he think his own career could be hampered by the fact that David Cameron has had to sideline some of his own party members to dish out Cabinet posts to Lib Dems?
I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’m very happy getting on with the job here,” he said. “If I’m asked to do anything else then obviously I will do what I’m asked to do. But you know as much as I do whether that’s on the horizon.”
In the meantime though, it’s back to work in the constituency,” he said.
“My office is still here right in the heart of Crewe. I’m going to have surgeries by appointment and I’m going to continue to do open surgeries as well.
“I want to spend as much of my time here as I can because that’s the only way I can really understand who I’m representing and why I’m representing them.
“My family is up here and I’ve got small children, so it’s important I devote my time to them as well. The natural draw, the magnet, is always pulling me back to Crewe and Nantwich.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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MP: Family must always come first
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Edward Timpson isn’t a big fan of Gordon Brown but there’s one thing they do agree on: being Prime Minister is the second most important job you can have.
As he left No 10 for the last time, accompanied by his wife and two young sons, Mr Brown said that being Prime Minister had been “the second most important job I could ever hold” after being a husband and a father.
Mr Timpson couldn’t agree more.
“I think he’s right,” said the Tory MP. “If someone’s got a family, they work not just for themselves but to support their family and so they want to do things together. When you’re away from your family you miss them tremendously.”
Mr Timpson is married to Julia and has three small children, Sam, five, Elizabeth, four, and one-year-old Lydia.
“One of the reasons I was a bit late for this interview today was I was trying to get the children dressed and nappies changed,” he explained.
“If the day ever came where I felt I was letting my family down by not playing a full and active part in their lives, that’s the day I’d start to think seriously about whether I’ve got the balance right.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Sorting office U-turn 'unlikely'
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Edward Timpson has vowed to keep pressure on Royal Mail over the Crewe sorting office closure but admitted that because the decision was taken so long ago it is unlikely to be reversed.
With some workers already on their way to Warrington, Mr Timpson feels the new Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable is unlikely to order a U-turn.
“But I’ll continue to work closely with the Communication Workers’ Union in Crewe, with workers, with the local Chamber of Commerce and others who have supported the sorting office to see if we can get as good an outcome as possible in the circumstances in which we find ourselves,” said the Tory MP.
“So if that means just trying to hold on to a few more jobs for people here in Crewe, then it’s worth making the effort.
“I will be raising it with the Department. I’ll still be making the case strongly for Crewe to remain open but I think we also need to remain realistic about what stage we’re now at.
“It’s a matter of doing what we can to minimise the damage cause to local jobs here because that’s my priority, making sure we have a strong and widely based jobs market in Crewe and the closing of the sorting office is going to be a big hit.”
Unlike many Conservative MPs, Mr Timpson is well known for working with the unions.
When management refused to let him go into the sorting office at Crewe a couple of years ago to talk to workers, he held a meeting with them and union reps on the pavement outside.
And when he was asked to leave the tax office in Crewe by management after meeting with union reps, he continued his discussions on the Oak Street car park.
Does he feel his relationship with the unions will change now the Tories are in government?
“I hope not because I’ve always taken the view that I’m here for everyone and that means building relationships with all sorts of groups,” said Mr Timpson.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Home experience helped to motivate MP Timpson
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson can’t really remember a time growing up when his parents’ home wasn’t full of foster children.
Mr Timpson was only five when his mum and dad, John and Alex, began fostering.
During the 30 years they acted as foster carers, they looked after 90 children.
Mr Timpson said it was this positive experience which motivated him into practising family law and taking on the position of chairman of the all-party group on fostering and adoption.
“One of the things that really motivated me to do what I’m doing now is to try to help those children who find themselves in care, through no fault of their own, to get a better chance to make something of themselves,” said the Conservative MP. “That’s why I’m going to be supporting fostering fortnight.”
With more than 60,000 children in care, thousands of carers are needed up and down the country.
Mr Timpson still bumps into people who were fostered by his parents.
“During the by-election campaign I was walking down the road when a car went by and the window came down and it was one of the foster children who’d recently gone back to live with his family in Crewe and he shouted out the window: ‘Hiya Edward. Where’s Sam?’ Sam’s my son. He’s about the same age.”
During the recent campaign he told how he met a man at a public meeting who was about seven years younger than himself who was fostered by his parents.
“When you talk to them and find out what they’re doing now and what they’ve made of their lives, it really hits home what my parents did and how much it’s played a part in these people’s lives,” said Mr Timpson.
The Tory MP admits his initial reaction when he realised his parents had started fostering wasn’t as charitable as it might have been.
“I was nearly six and I came skipping home from school one day to find these two fairly loud children, aged five and three, downstairs in the kitchen,” he said. “As the youngest of three I was used to having my mother’s undivided attention and on finding I was to have to share her my reaction was to run upstairs in a huff, run into my bedroom, slam the door and refuse to come out until they left.”
His reaction didn’t last long.
“As I grew older I started to take on more of a caring role myself, helping to do late-night bottles, that sort of thing, and I could start to see what my parents were doing it for and it was quite rewarding,” he said.
“You could see the change in many of these children. They started to thrive under routine, their personalities came out and the resentment I had at the start just evaporated.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Words from Westminster
Edward Timpson, Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Yesterday MPs were back to a very different Westminster – and many of them for the first time.
The face of politics has changed dramatically in the last few weeks, and the Liberal Conservative coalition seems to have got off to a good start.
But what does this new, coalition politics mean for Crewe and Nantwich? We’re in pretty uncharted territory. As an example, I’ll use the very serious issue of Crewe’s sorting
office closure.
A number of postal workers came to my office to ask about it last week. Following the change of government, they quite rightly wanted to know whether, with my Party in charge, the previous Government's decision to close the sorting office could be reversed.
However, the Secretary of State in charge of the Royal Mail is now none other than Vince Cable, a Liberal Democrat MP.
Add to that the fact that the Labour Government ripped the UK postal system apart and didn’t put it back together before they left office, and you’ve got a pretty colourful situation.
Nevertheless, one thing I can guarantee. That whoever is in charge of whatever department, I will always fight our Crewe and Nantwich corner.
It might just be a little tougher in these less certain political times!
My office has already been onto the new Business Secretary's department to find out what they say can be done at this desperately late stage. Let’s see what Vince has to say.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Fostering Campaign Takes to the Streets
Cheshire East Council
A major campaign to recruit 40 new foster carer households hits the streets of Cheshire East next week.
The roadshow will visit a different town each day between Monday and Friday to appeal for more people who can offer a secure, safe and caring home for a child who cannot live with their own family. Visitors can have an informal chat with Social Care staff to find out more about fostering and pick up a variety of information to take home and read.
They can also try their luck at a game of hook-a-duck to tie in with the campaign’s theme: A Child Without a Home is Like a Duck Out of Water. All those who take part will go into a prize draw to win a day’s hire of a narrow boat from Midway Boats at Barbridge Marina in Nantwich.
The roadshow will visit the following locations:
Monday May 24: Macclesfield Market Place
Tuesday May 25: Congleton High Street
Wednesday May 26: Crewe town square
Thursday May 27: Nantwich town square. Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson will attend this roadshow at 12pm.
Friday May 28: Outside the Council’s Westfields headquarters in Sandbach
The campaign ties in with Foster Care Fortnight which runs until May 30. Anyone who would like to find out more about fostering in Cheshire East can visit the website www.spacesforfaces.co.uk or contact the Council’s Fostering telephone hotline on 0300 123 3223.
© Cheshire East Council
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Weaver Wander
Crewe Blog
And they're off. This year's Weaver Wander with C&N MP Edward Timpson helping a local youngster with official flag waving duties...
© 2010 Crewe Blog
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Fostering campaign roadshow to visit Nantwich
Nantwichnews
A campaign to recruit 40 new foster carer households arrives in Nantwich this week.
The roadshow is visiting a different town each day between Monday and Friday to appeal for people who can offer a secure, safe and caring home for a child.
It will be in Nantwich this Thursday May 27 in the town square, where local MP Edward Timpson will also be attending.
Visitors can have an informal chat with social care staff to find out more about fostering and pick up information.
They can also try their luck at a game of hook-a-duck to tie in with the campaign’s theme: A Child Without a Home is Like a Duck Out of Water.
All those who take part will go into a prize draw to win a day’s hire of a narrow boat from Midway Boats at Barbridge Marina, Nantwich.
The campaign ties in with Foster Care Fortnight which runs until May 30.
For more details on fostering in Cheshire East, visit www.spacesforfaces.co.uk or contact the council’s Fostering hotline 0300 123 3223.
© 2010 Nantwichnews
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Vince Cable MP Visits Bentley Motors In Crewe
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
A HIGH ranking Government minister made Bentley Motors the site of his first official visit.
Liberal Democrat Dr Vince Cable, the new Business Secretary of the coalition government, visited the Crewe headquarters on Thursday to discuss the importance of manufacturing to drive the economy.
He toured around Bentley Motors’ new £25million Body in White facility, constructed exclusively to make the Mulsanne, the company’s new flagship.
Speaking to reporters after his tour, Dr Cable said: “We’re falling over backwards to give certainty.
“This coalition is an amazing project when you think where we were two weeks ago.
“That I would be up here on a field visit little after a week after the election is an extraordinary achievement.
“It’s important that we give businesses support.
“The support the Government gives to British industry is about skills, training, research, development, science and education, it’s not about pumping money into companies and there isn’t the money to do that.”
The Mulsanne has been designed and engineered at Crewe and the plant, which employs around 4,000 people, is where the body shell will be manufactured.
Each Mulsanne takes around 500 hours to build.
Dr Cable said: “We need to develop a stronger, more balanced economy that is less dependent on the City by building on the strengths of our manufacturing and other knowledge industries.
“The UK is open for business and we welcome the investment that is being made here by manufacturing companies, like Bentley, creating highly skilled workforces that will ensure our future growth.”
Doug Dickson, Bentley’s member of the board for manufacturing, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to Crewe and are proud that he has chosen Bentley as one of the first companies to visit in his new role.
“We are greatly encouraged by his comments that the manufacturing sector and companies like Bentley have a key role to play in developing a stronger and more balanced economy.”
Edward Timpson, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: “To have the Business Secretary on his first visit out of Westminster here in Crewe is recognition that not only Crewe but Cheshire and the north west as a whole are going to play a hugely significant part if we’re going to get the country on its feet and see continued growth and prosperity.”
He added: “It’s given me the opportunity to raise some important local issues one-to-one with the Business Secretary, not only about the need for more job creation and enterprise but also about the future of the Royal Mail sorting office in Crewe.
“He’s recognised that that’s an important issue here locally and will take it back to his department and get them to look at it closely to see what can be done in the short and medium term to help people.”
© 2010 Newsquest Media Group
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Support for postal workers
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Business Secretary Vince Cable has promised to highlight the plight of workers at Crewe’s Royal Mail sorting office with colleagues in Westminster.
Mr Cable made the assurances during a tour of the production line at Bentley Motors in Pyms Lane.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, who accompanied the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader on the factory tour, and who has been campaigning for Royal Mail staff for two years, found time to raise his concerns with his new coalition colleague.
Afterwards Mr Cable told the Chronicle: “He [Edward Timpson] has given priority to the situation at the sorting office and he’s made very strong representations to me.
“He told me that he didn’t feel this had been handled very well and I’ve undertaken to take back what he says to Westminster.
Royal Mail announced more than 18 months ago it planned to transfer the Crewe work to Warrington.
Up to 600 jobs at the Crewe site are affected, and some staff have already begun to move.
Last week Mr Cable announced Government plans to offer Royal Mail up for privatisation.
But with regard to the Weston Road Sorting Office, he said: “Privatisation of Royal Mail won’t affect this directly and nothing is going to happen overnight. It’s a difficult process that has got to be gone through before any changes can be made.”
Mr Timpson said he hoped Mr Cable had offered a glimmer of hop to the worried workforce.
He said: “This visit has given me the opportunity to press the case for all the workers at the sorting office and I’m pleased that the message has hit home with him.
“He can clearly give no guarantees or promises at this 11th hour stage but the fact that he’s willing to listen and take away with him the importance of the sorting office to the local economy is a big step forward.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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UK's coalition government means business
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Business secretary makes pledge on visit to car factory
Bentley Motors in Crewe welcomed Business Secretary Vince Cable MP last week when he made the factory top of his visiting priorities in his new role.
Mr Cable rolled up at the Pyms Lane factory on Thursday, accompanied by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson in a local show of unity under the new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.
The Liberal Democrat deputy leader spent an hour observing skilled craftsmen and engineers along the production line before being quizzed by reporters over the Government’s intentions to support the motor industry.
He said: “My department will be the department for growth. We need to develop a stronger, more balanced economy that is less dependent on the City by building on the strengths of our manufacturing and other knowledge industries.”
“The UK is open for business and we welcome the investment that is being made here by manufacturing companies, like Bentley, creating highly skilled workforces that will ensure our future growth.”
Mr Cable specifically viewed Bentley’s new Body in White facility – a £25m production centre featuring body shells for the new Mulsanne.
Conceived, designed and engineered entirely in Crewe, each Mulsanne takes about 500 hours to build with individual elements of the car, like the famous V8 engine, still being hand assembled.
Bentley manufacturing board member Doug Dickson said: “We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to Crewe and are proud that he has chosen Bentley as one of the first companies to visit in his new role.
“We are greatly encouraged by his comments that the manufacturing sector and companies like Bentley have a key role to play in developing a stronger and more balanced economy.
“The Government must encourage people into the industry through apprenticeships and other schemes as well as committing to increased training of those who already work in it.”
Mr Timpson added: “For the new business secretary to have his first visit in Crewe is a sign that the new coalition Government sees the importance of this area, not just regionally but nationally and Bentley is at the forefront of that.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Parents petition for 20mph street limit
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
The parents of a four-year-old boy who was injured in a collision with a car are calling for a 20mph limit on all residential roads in South Cheshire towns.
Four-year-old Jack Clulow is still in a wheelchair after he broke his leg in the accident more than a month ago.
The entirely blameless driver of the car was driving within the 30mph speed limit when the accident occurred.
But Jack’s parents believe their son would not have been so badly injured had a 20mph restriction been in place and they hope to prevent similar accidents happening.
They want local towns to follow Portsmouth’s lead where a 20mph limit has been imposed on 1,200 residential streets.
Mrs Clulow of Nutfield Avenue, Crewe, said Jack, who is normally very careful crossing the road, on this occasion had run in front of an ice cream van into the road when the accident with the car happened.
“According to the police the driver was travelling at the speed limit, which is currently 30mph,” said Mrs Clulow.
“This speed is totally unsuitable for the environment in Nutfield Avenue as this road is a crescent and most of the residents have young children.”
Mrs Clulow has contacted MP Edward Timpson who has told the Chronicle he ha every sympathy for the family and would be very happy to attend a meeting to hear their views on speed limits.
The family has started a petition which has gone into local schools and shops – and a Facebook group, Justice for Jack, has now got more than 330 names.
A public meeting is planned for July when it is hoped still more signatures will be added to the petition to go to Cheshire East Council.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Words from Westminster
Edward Timpson, Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Coalition gives ID cards the boot
Earlier this year in Parliament I pressed the Government to give me information about the success – or lack of – of the extension of the ID card scheme into Cheshire.
Despite support for my enquiries from civil liberties campaigners, no real answers came back, except for a variety of non-reasons for withholding the statistics – ironic considering this scheme was meant to make available detailed data on us all.
I already knew from my own extensive enquiries that the vast majority of people in Crewe and Nantwich were either unaware that the voluntary ID card scheme had been extended to our area, or if they did know about it, were suitably non-plussed or vehemently against the idea.
Conservatives are firmly opposed to ID cards on a number of grounds.
The card will not work, they are a waste of money (each of the 15,000 cards already issued has cost the taxpayer 17,000) and they are an invasion of privacy.
The former Government plans to introduce ID cards were entirely discredited for those reasons but they still tried to introduce ID cards by stealth.
It is a firm tenet of this Government coalition agreement that we scrap the ID card scheme, a stance which Conservatives have long advocated.
So there you have it.
Weeks of stalling and inaction from the previous Government on answering questions about the scheme in Cheshire – a matter of days for the Conservative-led coalition to scrap the whole thing.
I hope such decisive action comes to be seen as the hallmark of this new administration.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Seaside Splash to Celebrate National Bookstart Day
Cheshire East Council
Families of pre-school children across Cheshire East are invited to a special event to highlight the fun of sharing books. Cheshire East Council is holding a seaside-themed activity day in Nantwich town centre next Friday (June 11) to celebrate National Bookstart Day. Events begin at the library at 9.30am where under-fives and their parents and carers are invited to join a bear hunt.
The fun then moves out to the town square where families will be able to meet Bookstart Bear and take part in ‘rhyme time’ sessions at 10am, 11am, 12noon and 1pm. Throughout the event, which runs until 2pm, there will be face painting, crafts, a raffle, prize draw and goody bags available for all. The day’s activities will be officially opened by Cheshire East Deputy Mayor Roger West and closed by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson.
Co-ordinated by the independent charity Booktrust, Bookstart encourages parents and carers to enjoy books with their child from an early age. More than 4,000 events are expected to take place across the UK to celebrate National Bookstart Day, which this year has a seaside theme. Councillor Hilda Gaddum, Cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “As well as being one of the most satisfying activities you can share, reading with your child helps him or her to develop a lifelong love of books. “Cheshire East Council is a keen supporter of Bookstart and we are delighted to support this national event. “As well as the flagship event in Nantwich, activities will be taking place at children’s centres, libraries and pre-school settings across Cheshire East, so families won’t have to travel far to take part in this special day.”
© Cheshire East Council
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Seaside Splash to Celebrate National Bookstart Day
Crewe Town Blog
Families of pre-school children across Cheshire East are invited to a special event to highlight the fun of sharing books.
Cheshire East Council is holding a seaside-themed activity day in Nantwich town centre next Friday (June 11) to celebrate National Bookstart Day.
Events begin at the library at 9.30am where under-fives and their parents and carers are invited to join a bear hunt.
The fun then moves out to the town square where families will be able to meet Bookstart Bear and take part in ‘rhyme time’ sessions at 10am, 11am, 12noon and 1pm.
Throughout the event, which runs until 2pm , there will be face painting, crafts, a raffle, prize draw and goody bags available for all.
The day’s activities will be officially opened by Cheshire East Deputy Mayor Roger West and closed by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson.
Co-ordinated by the independent charity Booktrust, Bookstart encourages parents and carers to enjoy books with their child from an early age.
More than 4,000 events are expected to take place across the UK to celebrate National Bookstart Day, which this year has a seaside theme.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum, Cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “As well as being one of the most satisfying activities you can share, reading with your child helps him or her to develop a lifelong love of books.
“Cheshire East Council is a keen supporter of Bookstart and we are delighted to support this national event.
“As well as the flagship event in Nantwich, activities will be taking place at children’s centres, libraries and pre-school settings across Cheshire East, so families won’t have to travel far to take part in this special day.”
For further information on Booktrust and Bookstart please email bookstart@cheshiresharedservices.co.uk
© 2010 CreweTownBlog
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Enriching others with what they have
The Daily Mail
Just imagine you are a high-powered business type, say the chairman and chief executive of one of Britain's most recognised companies. You have had a hard day at the office, negotiating deals worth millions. When you get home, what scene do you expect to greet you? A large glass of whisky? A welcoming bath? A lovingly cooked meal with the family? At the very least, you would anticipate peace and quiet, with time to gather your thoughts.
Not if you are John Timpson, the driving force behind the eponymous High Street shoe repair business. He has spent the past 30 years never being quite sure what is going to be waiting for him when he turns into the drive - but knowing that a triple buggy and a houseful of tiny screaming strangers is always a distinct possibility.
'Once I walked into the kitchen to find an extra three pairs of shoes, and another three pairs of trainers, that my wife had put out for me to clean,' he says. 'It was the first sign that we had acquired three extra children. That's how it always was. The very first time, I got home on a Friday night to discover we had two extra boys. Once - and I've never forgotten them - it was baby triplets. Then it was all hands on deck, with 5am starts. At those times, I never did know what I was coming home to. My wife might greet me and say: "You need to go out to the supermarket. We need such and such." Or I'd realise that I would be on duty through the night, doing the feeds. It did take some adjusting to. I'm not a modern type of father at all. I was never a nappy changer with my own children. But needs must, and we all have to adapt.'
Adapting has always been John's business. His family company, established in the 1800s, would have gone under long since had he not recognised the need to diversify from shoe repairs. Today, the chain, which has 850 branches nationwide, does key cutting, engraving and dry cleaning. What's far more astonishing to discover is what 'adapting' was going on at home in the years he was building up the business.
For three decades ago, when John was 34 and his wife Alex was 31, they decided to become foster parents. It was Alex's idea, he points out.
Their own three children were all at school and, despite having a big house and healthy bank balance, she 'never quite fancied the idea of being a lady who lunches'. Before they had married, Alex had worked as a nanny, but she was reluctant to re-enter a profession that would require her to be away from her own children. One day, she noticed an advert for foster carers. When she discussed it with John, he says he didn't run a mile. 'I rather thought it would be a good idea,' he says. 'I knew she desperately wanted to work, and childcare was always her thing. This would be a way of her caring for children, but in the home. Not that I could have anticipated what it turned into. I expected we'd have a child or two for a little while, and that would be that.'
Fast-forward three decades, and the Timpsons have fostered an astonishing 90 children, as well as adopting two. It has led to some interesting dinner party conversations because most of the people who move in their circles don't have much experience of foster care.
'At dinner parties, people would ask: "How many children do you have?" I'd say: "It depends what you mean," ' says John. 'I'm sure they thought I'd had a string of wives.'
The real story of this extraordinary family, though, would have been no less jaw-dropping. The couple have just decided to retire as foster parents. Their last charges - siblings aged five, three and two - were what is known as a 'challenging family' and the experience confirmed their suspicions that it was time to stop.
They have eight grandchildren of their own, which keeps the chaos levels high enough.
What a journey it has been, though. The first young charges appeared out of the blue one Friday night, six months after the Timpsons had been approved as foster carers. 'I got home from a trip to London and they were there,' says John. The brothers were aged three and four, and he quaintly describes them as 'free-range'. He admits he was horrified. His own children - brought up in genteel surroundings in the Cheshire countryside - were simply mesmerised by the antics of the visitors.
'These boys were not used to regular bed or meal-times and had never used a knife, fork or spoon,' says John. 'Their language impressed our children. The three-year-old rode a tricycle round the room shouting "F*** off!" at the top of his voice. My children quickly copied him.'
The next day, John took the little boys shopping, only to have them shout 'That woman's got big busters' in the village bakery shop. In hindsight, it is funny, but at the time John admits he was stunned at the enormity of what the family had taken on. The shocks were to get more intense as the weeks and months rolled on. There was the pitiful discovery that many of the children who came into their care had never seen much of life outside the walls of their own homes - and pretty squalid homes they sometimes were, too.
'The first little boys asked if they could play in the park. We realised they meant our garden. They had never seen a sheep or a cow. When we went to North Wales, they called the sea a "big puddle".
There were more sinister eyeopeners, too. Most of the youngsters who have passed through the Timpson family had suffered abuse or neglect. Some were openly hostile; others deliberately provocative. Along with interrupted nights and supermarket dashes, John - often the first father-figure for these children - found himself grappling with the sorts of issues no one wants to have to confront. 'We've had it all drug problems, exclusions from school, the police on the phone. At least one of the lads who was with us ended up in prison, and I wasn't surprised at that. We had violence towards family pets which was unpleasant. And one day I returned to find a boy had taken a hammer and smashed all the glass my greenhouse. I don't think anything prepared us for any of that.'
He admits they were naive in the early years about sexual abuse. 'Back then, I felt there was all this talk about physical abuse and sexual abuse, but I thought it was exaggerated by charities hoping to drum up support,' he says. 'I can say now it absolutely isn't. Let's just say that hand some of the children who have come into our care have been dealt is a terrible one.'
One of the first questions their dinner party guests always asked was: 'What do your own children make of it?' John and Alex's two sons and a daughter are now in 30s and early 40s. 'My son Edward hid in his room when the first child arrived, but later he took such an interest in fostering that he gave a talk at school about it. I can honestly say, hand on heart, our children have benefited from the experience. I know there must have been times when they thought: "Why are Mum and Dad spending so much time sorting out other children's problems?" That's only natural. I have to confess that there were times when I resented Alex spending so much time with the foster children, too, because that was time she wasn't spending with me. But the pluses always outweighed the minuses.'
While James followed his father into the family business and is now chief executive of Timpsons, Edward chose politics. In 2008, he was elected Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich in a by-election, and his father was beyond furious at how the Labour Party tried to depict him as an upper-class toff out of touch with the common man, in an ill-judged publicity campaign that saw protesters in tails and top hats.
'Because of our fostering, my children saw more of the real world than most in their position. They grew up with a sense of social responsibility, and for that I am very proud,' he says.
The Timpson family home is undeniably comfortable, so did that pose problems for the foster children, not least because they had to leave again? 'No, it didn't,' says John. 'Children don't really notice these things or they are not important to them. We keep in touch with a lot of them and what they remember with affection is Alex and the love she gave them, not the swimming pool.'
It is rare to hear of someone with such wealth throwing open their home in such a way. John is candid about the fact that his financial standing helped. 'A lot of the issues that other foster families have - lack of space, for instance - didn't affect us. The children always had a bedroom. Having money meant there was a cushion there. Once, we were booked to go on holiday to Portugal and Social Services asked us to take on two boys. There was no other suitable foster family available. The answer was for them to come on holiday with us. One of the boys stayed for ten years. We were also fortunate in that we had a couple who helped us look after the house and they trained to become foster parents, so they could step in when necessary. We were luckier in that regard than most.'
Wasn't such a demanding and chaotic family life incompatible with his top-level job?
'It hasn't always been easy but, my goodness, look at the memories these children have left us with. Funnily enough, no. I found it helped. I've always been a believer in switching off from work when you come home. Nothing helps you switch off more than having to cope with a load of children. It gives you a different focus, which is healthy.
'It also helped our business. A lot of people may not understand this, but the ethos at home - inspired by Alex, who has always been my moral compass - was one I translated into the workplace. Most companies say they put their people first, but I don't think many do in the way Timpsons do. We have a programme where we recruit former offenders. My experience of dealing with troubled children has been hugely beneficial in dealing with staff. If there have been problems in early lives, they can manifest themselves at work. It is all about dealing with people and motivating them. Sometimes there isn't that big a difference between an angry youngster and an employee who is having problems at home.'
You can see why Timpson has been hailed as a business guru. He is an instinctive, common-sense operator who has no time for red tape and endless meetings. So how did he manage his relationship with social workers, who often seem bound in knots by both?
'I have had my problems,' he says. 'But I haven't been afraid to go to the top. I've bypassed the social workers and gone to their bosses, as I would do in business. A lot of foster carers are afraid of complaining about social workers. I'm not and never have been. I've stood in offices saying: "Your people are having too many meetings. A decision needs to be made now."
'One of my greatest frustrations with the system is that it lacks common sense. There are some good social workers out there - probably better ones, in general, than when we started - but they are bound up in red tape. There is a culture of defensive box-ticking, rather than actually getting out there to act in the best interests of the child.'
Given that Timpson's is a family business, have any foster children ended up working for the company? 'Oliver is working for us,' he says, of the little boy he met as an undersized six-year-old in a children's home. He and his wife adopted him shortly after his seventh birthday and he is now 34. 'Mind you, it is his fourth time working for us. He's been sacked twice and resigned twice.'
Oliver epitomises the rollercoaster that fostering and adoption can be. An incredibly difficult child, he had what John describes as attachment issues because of his early years. 'He has put us through a living hell, to be honest. Drugs, trouble at school. Among all the love and despair he has brought to our home, the greatest feeling is frustration. But I recently wrote a little book on the subject of attachment for those thinking about fostering and adopting. Oliver read it, turned to me and said: "This is me, isn't it?" '
Was Oliver a success story? It seems so. 'He took us out for lunch the other day - the first time he has been able to afford to, I think. It was a lovely thing.'
The links with many of the children he has cared for will continue. Alex acts as an unofficial foster grandmother, advising parents whose children were returned to them after a stint in the Timpsons' care.
After 30 years of fostering, the Timpsons feel their family life has only been richer for the presence of so many children. 'There were a few what I call Mission Impossibles - the children who were so disturbed and troubled they were always going to end up in trouble,' he says. 'But they were very much in the minority. Others have gone on to thrive and that is an incredible thing. It hasn't always been easy but, my goodness, look at the memories these children have left us with. It's an experience I wouldn't have missed for the world.'
© 2010 The Daily Mail
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Fun Activities In Nantwich Town Centre
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
TODDLERS and their families across South Cheshire are being invited to a special event to highlight the fun of sharing books.
Cheshire East Council is holding a seaside-themed activity day in Nantwich town centre on Friday (June 11) to celebrate National Bookstart Day.
Events begin at the library at 9.30am where under-fives and their parents and carers are invited to join a bear hunt.
The fun then moves out to the town square where families will be able to meet Bookstart Bear and take part in ‘rhyme time’ sessions from 10am.
Throughout the event, which runs until 2pm, there will be face painting, crafts, a raffle, prize draw and goody bags available for all.
The day’s activities will be officially opened by Cheshire East Deputy Mayor Roger West and closed by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson.
Bookstart encourages parents and carers to enjoy books with their child from an early age.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum said: “As well as being one of the most satisfying activities you can share, reading with your child helps him or her to develop a lifelong love of books.
“Cheshire East Council is a keen supporter of Bookstart and we are delighted to support this national event.
“As well as the flagship event in Nantwich, activities will be taking place at children’s centres, libraries and pre-school settings across Cheshire East, so families won’t have to travel far to take part in this special day.”
© 2010 Newsquest Media Group
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Date for Nantwich Holly Holy Day 2011 revealed
Nantwichnews
The date for next year’s Holly Holy Day in Nantwich has been announced.
The 2011 commemoration of the Civil War siege and battle of Nantwich will take place in the town on January 22.
The event, which features stalls, street entertainment, a performance from Nantwich Players, and the re-enactment of the famous Battle of Nantwich, pulls in thousands of visitors to the town.
“Many of the town’s traders reported activity and takings up by as much as 25% on the day, so there was an economic benefit as well as a feelgood factor,” said Holly Holy Day Society spokesman Shaun Cafferty.
“The 2011 event will again be an all day affair with something for everyone – and most of the entertainment free of charge.”
Holly Holy Day is a non-profit event staged by a voluntary group with support from councils, Rotary and sponsorship from local businesses.
Organisers are asking for any volunteers who can help with planning beforehand and on the day itself.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, patron of the event, said: “I’ve had a great time these last two years at Holly Holy Day, so it’s good news that it’s on again for 2011.
“Not only is it an excuse for families to have a day out and celebrate our shared history, but it also provides a welcome boost to local businesses.”
For more details visit www.hollyholyday.org.uk
© 2010 Nantwichnews
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Acton Nomads RUFC celebrate success in first year
Nantwichnews
Acton Nomads RUFC are to step up a league just a year after the team was first launched.
The club, which plays at The Barony in Nantwich, missed out on promotion due to a points technicality.
But now they have been handed a wild card by the University of Salford NW Leagues and will ply their trade next season in Division 4 South.
Club secretary Tony Pennance said: “In addition to this the club will also run a 2nd XV in Division 5 South and are actively recruiting players.”
The club recently brought their successful first season to a close when 180 people attending an End of Season Ball and Award night.
RFU Vice President Willie Wildash presented the Nomads with the prestigious 2010 RFU Presidents XV “This is Rugby” award.
This is given to the club who best displays the core values of the sport - Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship.
Edward Timpson MP, Cheshire RFU and Miller Homes League officials were among the guests.
Winners of the club awards were Gary Wilson (‘Mouse the Cat’ trophy for Player of the Year), James Guy (Most Improved Player) David Greatbanks (Club Captains Award), Jed Thurlow (Clubman of the Year).
Mr Thurlow said: “The last 11 months have been an unbelievable journey and as a club we are looking forward to an exciting 2nd season.”
Anyone who is interested in playing for the Nomads whatever their experience may be should contact the club through their website at www.actonnomads.co.uk
© 2010 Nantwichnews
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Backing for carers
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has teamed up with Only Fools and Horses actor Sir David ‘Del Boy’ Jason to support this year’s Carers Week (14-20 June).
The aim is to celebrate the contribution of made by people throughout the UK who provide unpaid care for someone who is ill or disabled.
The theme for this year’s week is ‘A life of my own’ and calls for carers to receive greater recognition for the vital work they carry out.
The MP said: “The many thousands of carers in Crewe and Nantwich deserve to be recognised for the priceless contribution they make to their loved ones, our local community and society at large.”
He went on: “I am supporting Carers Week because I want to express my respect and gratitude to all our carers, and ensure that those who feel isolated or lonely learn about the services and support out there to help them.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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MP says deal is Equitable
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has welcomed the news that one million Equitable Life policyholders will finally get the justice they deserve.
The MP had signed a pledge promising to stand up for the victims.
After a report by the Ombudsman in 2008 policyholders thought a positive result might be around the corner. The Equitable Members Action Group (EMAG) say the Government resorted to delaying tactics.
EMAG spokeman Paul Braithwaite accused Labour of ‘treating us with contempt’.
But the Coalition Government has announced that a new Bill will finally enable payments to be made to policyholders or their dependents if deceased.
Mark Hoban, Financial Secretary to the Treasury said: “The policyholders have waited long enough for justice. This coalition is built on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.
“We recognise the Government's responsibility to tackle this issue and to do so in a way which is fair to both policyholders and taxpayers.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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MP sworn in
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Re-elected Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has been sworn in at the House of Commons for a second time.
In order to take up their seat in Parliament anyone selected in the General Election must first swear allegiance to the Crown in the chamber.
Last time Mr Timpson took the oath – after the 2008 by-election – he was the ‘new boy’ in the House of Commons, but this time he queued up alongside 232 brand new MPs.
Speaking afterwards Mr Timpson said: “It’s good to get back in to the swing of things down here, after the frantic pace of the last month or so.
“There are a lot of new names and faces to learn down here in Parliament, I might have to print them out and learn them on the train home.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
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Acton Nomads congratulated by Edward Timpson
Crewe Blog
Friday 21st May saw Acton Nomads RFC bring a hugely successful first season to a close with 180 people attending their inaugural end-of-season Ball and Awards presentation evening. The Rt Hon Edward Timpson MP, Cheshire RFU and Miller Homes League Officials were amongst the guests who witnessed the RFU vice-president Willie Wildash present the Nomads with the prestigious 2010 RFU Presidents XV “This is Rugby” award which is presented to the club who best displays the core values of the sport of Rugby Union - Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship.
Having presented the club with the crystal trophy and a cheque for £500, Mr Wildash said: "It is amazing that the Nomads have achieved so much in such short a period of time. It goes to show what can be done when a group of people pull together and work hard.”
The club awards were presented by Edward Timpson MP to the following people: Gary Wilson received the ‘Mouse the Cat’ trophy for Player of the Year. James Guy received the Most Improved Player trophy. David Greatbanks received the Club Captains Award. Jed Thurlow received the Clubman of the Year Award. Edward Timpson said of the evening: “I’ve had a great evening tonight at the awards ceremony here in Nantwich. That the Nomads have come third in their first season is a great testament to what can be achieved with real dedication at a grass roots level. The club fully deserves its RFU ‘This is Rugby’ award and the well deserved recognition for the hard graft they have all put in on the pitch and off it. Well done to Jed, Tiny and all the team.”
In his Chairmans report, Jed Thurlow said: “The level of support we have received has been amazing and on behalf of the club I would like to thank all of those who make it across to the Barony to watch our games. The last 11 months have been an unbelievable journey and as a club we are looking forward to an exciting 2nd season.”
STOP PRESS: Club secretary Tony Pennance added: “Preparation has already begun for the new season, with the additional good news that we will step up a league in season 2010/11 . After initially missing out on promotion in their inaugural season on a points scored technicality, the Nomads have been handed a wild card by the University of Salford NW Leagues and will ply their trade next season in Division 4 South. In addition to this the club will also run a 2nd XV in Division 5 South and are actively recruiting players." Anyone who is interested in playing for the Nomads whatever their experience may be should contact the club through the website at http://www.actonnomads.co.uk/. Having also received aninvite to the Fat Bloke 7s competition in Reading (http://www.fatboysevens.org.uk/) and an involvement in an international charity event later this year, the future looks rosy for the Nomads.
© 2010 Crewe Blog
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Success for Fostering Campaign - But More Carers Still Needed
Crewe Town Blog
A Cheshire East Council fostering campaign has been hailed a success - but more carers are needed to help the authority look after an increasing number of looked-after children.
The Fostering and Adoption Team received triple the number of enquiries it would expect in an average month following the high-profile campaign, which coincided with Foster Care Fortnight.
A series of roadshows was backed by advertising on buses and in the local media to tie in with the campaign theme: A Child Without a Home is Like a Duck Out of Water.
The Council is now renewing its appeal to ensure it meets its target of recruiting 40 new foster carer households.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum, Cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “We are delighted at the response generated by our duck-themed campaign.
“It clearly had the desired impact of inviting people to consider whether they could offer a secure, safe and caring home for a child who cannot live with their own family.
“But recruiting an additional 40 foster carer households is a big challenge and we need as many people as possible to come forward to help us meet this target.
“There is no such thing as the perfect foster carer - we need a diverse range of people with different skills and qualities so more children can be placed in the right home.”
The roadshow visited Macclesfield, Congleton, Crewe , Nantwich and Sandbach, offering members of the public the opportunity to have an informal chat with members of the Fostering and Adoption Team and take away information.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson lent his support to the campaign by dropping in when the roadshow visited Nantwich.
Mr Timpson said: "I am delighted to have been here in Nantwich to support the Council's push to recruit new foster carers.
"My family has fostered around 80 children and young people over the years, so from the age of five I have seen first hand the real positive impact that fostering can have on the child and family alike."
Currently there are 180 foster carer households looking after more than 300 children in Cheshire East.
Anyone wishing to find out more about fostering can visit the website www.spacesforfaces.co.uk or contact the Council’s fostering telephone hotline on 0300 123 3223.
© 2010 Crewe Town Blog
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Foster family campaign in Nantwich hailed a success
NantwichNews
A campaign to find more foster families in Nantwich and Cheshire East has been hailed a success.
But more carers are needed to help Cheshire East Council look after a rising number of looked-after children.
The Fostering and Adoption Team received three times the number of inquiries of a normal month following the campaign.
Roadshows, which visited Nantwich and other towns, and bus and media advertising was used to highlight the “A Child Without a Home is Like a Duck Out of Water” campaign.
The council wants to recruit 40 new foster families.
Cllr Hilda Gaddum said: “It clearly had the desired impact of inviting people to consider whether they could offer a secure, safe and caring home for a child who cannot live with their own family.
“But recruiting an additional 40 foster carer households is a big challenge. We need a diverse range of people with different skills and qualities so more children can be placed in the right home.”
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson lent his support by visiting the Nantwich roadshow.
He said: “My family has fostered around 80 children and young people so I have seen first hand the real positive impact fostering can have on child and family alike.”
Currently there are 180 foster carer households looking after more than 300 children in Cheshire East.
© 2010 NantwichNews
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Foster family campaign in Nantwich hailed a success
NantwichNews
A campaign to find more foster families in Nantwich and Cheshire East has been hailed a success.
But more carers are needed to help Cheshire East Council look after a rising number of looked-after children.
The Fostering and Adoption Team received three times the number of inquiries of a normal month following the campaign.
Roadshows, which visited Nantwich and other towns, and bus and media advertising was used to highlight the “A Child Without a Home is Like a Duck Out of Water” campaign.
The council wants to recruit 40 new foster families.
Cllr Hilda Gaddum said: “It clearly had the desired impact of inviting people to consider whether they could offer a secure, safe and caring home for a child who cannot live with their own family.
“But recruiting an additional 40 foster carer households is a big challenge. We need a diverse range of people with different skills and qualities so more children can be placed in the right home.”
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson lent his support by visiting the Nantwich roadshow.
He said: “My family has fostered around 80 children and young people so I have seen first hand the real positive impact fostering can have on child and family alike.”
Currently there are 180 foster carer households looking after more than 300 children in Cheshire East.
© 2010 NantwichNews
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Battle colour and atmosphere returns
A Dabber's Nantwich
THE much-loved commemoration of the Civil War siege and Battle of Nantwich will take place on Saturday, January 22, 2011.
More details will be confirmed shortly, but the format is expected to closely follow last year's event, which brought much needed colour and atmosphere - and many welcome visitors - to one of our coldest Januaries.
The 2010 event featured stalls, street entertainment, and a performance from Nantwich Players, and culminated in a re-enactment of the famous Battle of Nantwich.
Shaun Cafferty, Chairman of Nantwich Holly Holy Day Society, said: "Many of the town's traders reported activity and takings up by as much as 25 per cent on the day, so there was an economic benefit as well as a feel-good factor to the day.
"The 2011 event will again be an all-day affair with something for everyone - and most of the entertainment free of charge.
"Holly Holy Day is a non-profit event staged by a small voluntary group with support from the local councils and the Rotary organisation, and with sponsorship from local businesses. With this in mind, the organisers are asking for any volunteers who would like to help with planning beforehand and assistance on the day itself.
"Without this practical and financial support, the event would itself pass into history and the town would lose this special day from the calendar as well as the economic benefits it brings."
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, who is Patron of the event, also lent his support. He said: "I've had a great time these last two years at Holly Holy Day, so it's great news that it's on again for 2011. Not only is it an excuse for families to have a day out and celebrate a bit of our shared history, but it also provides a welcome boost to local businesses."
Businesses will be approached for their repeated support shortly, and anyone else who is willing to offer any assistance can get in touch via the website, www.hollyholyday.org.uk, or via the Nantwich Town Council website.
© 2010 A DABBER'S NANTWICH
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Edward Timpson backing fostering campaign
Crewe Blog
A Cheshire East Council fostering campaign has been hailed a success, but more carers are needed to help the authority look after an increasing number of looked-after children. The Fostering and Adoption Team received triple the number of enquiries it would expect in an average month following the high-profile campaign, which coincided with Foster Care Fortnight. Currently there are 180 foster carer households looking after more than 300 children in Cheshire East. A series of roadshows was backed by advertising on buses and in the local media to tie in with the campaign theme: A Child Without a Home is Like a Duck Out of Water. The Council is now renewing its appeal to ensure it meets its target of recruiting 40 new foster carer households.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum, Cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “We are delighted at the response generated by our duck-themed campaign. It clearly had the desired impact of inviting people to consider whether they could offer a secure, safe and caring home for a child who cannot live with their own family. But recruiting an additional 40 foster carer households is a big challenge and we need as many people as possible to come forward to help us meet this target. There is no such thing as the perfect foster carer - we need a diverse range of people with different skills and qualities so more children can be placed in the right home.”
The roadshow visited Macclesfield, Congleton, Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, offering members of the public the opportunity to have an informal chat with members of the Fostering and Adoption Team and take away information. Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson lent his support to the campaign by dropping in when the roadshow visited Nantwich. He said: "I am delighted to have been here in Nantwich to support the Council's push to recruit new foster carers. My family has fostered around 80 children and young people over the years, so from the age of five I have seen first hand the real positive impact that fostering can have on the child and family alike."
© 2010 CreweBlog
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MP opens the region's first new Wellness Centre
4Front
It was a proud day for local couple, David and Lynne Rowley, when Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson officially opened the first Arriba Wellness Centre in the North West.
David and Lynne were inspired to set up the Wellness Centre, which is located on the Alvaston Business Park in Nantwich, when David lost over three stone and noticed significant benefits to his health and well-being.
He said: “I was shocked to discover that my excess weight was putting me at an increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease and when I saw the photos of my 40th birthday celebration, I knew it was time to do something about it – not just for me but for my wife and son.”
Their vision is to encourage local residents to take more of an interest in their health, their nutrition and their well-being.
Edward Timpson said: “I was delighted to be asked to open David and Lynne’s new wellness centre on World Health Day. Anything that’s going to help improve the health of people in Crewe and Nantwich is welcome.”
The centre is the new venue for the Community Weight Loss Challenge which is a 12-week course packed with talks on key nutrition and weight-related health topics.
© 2010 South Cheshire Chamber
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5 ways to contact Edward Timpson
* By email: edward@creweandnantwichconservatives.com
* On the web: edwardtimpson.com
* By phone: 01270 501 725
* By post: 30 Victoria Street, Crewe CW1 2JE
* In person: Click here to see surgery times
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