Last week, I had the pleasure of joining residents in celebrating the opening of The Sussex Yarn Collection in Storrington. It is brilliant to see a family-run endeavour give a vote of confidence in our high-streets. West Sussex is an excellent location for small-scale enterprise, and we are fortunate to have an abundance of independent stores in our community which keep our high streets vibrant and give residents a reason to shop locally. I am confident that the business, run by Jane and Rocky Hitchcock, will be a valuable addition to Storrington – not just for purchases, but as a location for learning and sharing experiences in craft. I wish them every success.
On Friday I met with volunteers and Trustees of the West Sussex Minibus Association – a valuable community service running 11 minibuses in our villages – and of which I am proud to be a Vice-President. The volunteers organise door-to-door services to take members out on shopping trips and special outings. It’s work tackles directly one of the challenges of our time – the social isolation faced by too many. The Association raised issues affecting their volunteer drivers around driving licences and I look forward to raising with the Secretary of State for Transport. If you would like to use, or volunteer for, this brilliant organisation, please contact them through www.westsussesminibus.org.uk.
Finally, I was pleased to write to Government Ministers last week in support of the Mid Sussex District Council bid for an Investment Zone – which would include the new Science & Technology Park located just north of the A2300. I have always unashamedly championed local investment in our community as it supports high skilled, high wage jobs – backing families and livelihoods – and I will continue to work closely with our local councils to deliver support to guarantee this.
