Many people are feeling anxious at the moment, for many reasons.
Economic insecurity is a concern for everyone, and we know that the war in the Middle East, beyond our control, will have a severe impact on all our lives. The climate crisis can feel insurmountable, but we cannot (and should not) avoid it. It can sometimes feel all too much.
Community cohesion, the sense of supporting each other, belonging and engaging is the social glue that makes communities more resilient and better places to live.
The Stroud constituency is very varied. It stretches from Berkeley and Sharpness, through Dursley, Stonehouse, Wotton and Nailsworth, to Stroud and on to Chalford. It embraces rural hamlets, villages, and thriving market towns as well as industrial estates, farms, woods and commons.
Across this patchwork there are numerous communities: people with shared interests in where they live or work, their schools, hobbies and passions – where they relax and the spaces they share.
One of the joys of my job is getting to know these different communities and how they work. The range and diversity they represent is extraordinary, but they typically share a number of qualities: creativity, resilience, dedication, optimism and a love for their members.
A large part of my job is to represent them to government – who have a lot to learn from the people of Stroud. The government has to get the framework within which we all live – economy, security, education, the NHS and so on – right.
We are better placed than most to get through the bad times and thrive in the good. And I thank you all for that.
