Some of the Conservative Community Action Team having a ‘cuppa’ in the back garden after meeting with local residents and helping deliver the Wirral Observer.

If you’ve a story you’d like us to cover or if you have  a charity or community group you’d like us to write about then contact me on  esther@wirralwestconservatives.co.uk

My good friend Sir Tim Rice came to Hoylake to hold a community event. Over 250 people turned out to enjoy Pimms on the lawn with Tim and the wonderful West Kirby Light Opera. The sun shined, the Pimms flowed and the night was a great success – so much so we’ve already arranged to do another such event next year.

The Award winning West Kirby Light Opera.

Last week I graduated from John Moores University with a Distinction for my MSc in Corporate Governance, pictured above with the Vice Chancellor Michael Brown.  

Working full time, being the Parliamentary candidate for Wirral West and studying part time did make last year quite a tough one! Thankfully the JMU library is 24/7 and I managed to get in there before everyone else and leave pretty much after everyone else!

On top of which I was awarded the North of England Excellence Award for best student – so all my hard work paid off.  As with all success there is always someone there urging you on and making you laugh when times are tough, and in my case it’s my dad, so this award has to go to him. He’s a total star and the best dad any girl could wish for.  (ps he’s  also the one taking the pictures!)

Dave Rusk from the board of the North of England Excellence hands me the Award

Here we go …. here he is…… my dad.

The Wirral Conservative Team Walking for Charity

Keith Chegwin was speaking to the crowd, Mickey Starke sang ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ and Gerry Marsden was wishing us well from a giant TV screen – that was the count down before 11,000 people walked through the Birkenhead Tunnel as part of the 75 year Tunnel celebrations.

A team of  Wirral Conservatives, armed with brollies and bottles of water, did the walk for Claire House and here we are the end of the walk, wearing our medals.

Roger Phillips of BBC Radio Merseyside hosted the Awards

Last night I went to the ‘Wirral Volunteer of the Year Awards’  held in the Floral Pavilion, hosted by Roger Phillips and organised by Wirral’s CVS. It was a night to be proud of as I sat and listened to the wonderful deeds done by the people of Wirral. Each of the winners spoke passionately about their cause and the assistance they provided to the local community on a voluntary basis. Some joked that being a volunteer meant you could never be sacked and that everyone was their own boss – but honestly without such wonderful people many truly innovative community projects would never have happened. Volunteers are the life blood of the community. Most work tirelessly over many years without receiving the full recognition they deserve – so it was wonderful to be a part of an Awards ceremony that recognised their contribution. Well done to the all the volunteers and well done CVS.

Yesterday’s Sunday Times front page featured an article on how ex minister Lord Malloch- Brown described the government as more ‘chaotic’ than any administration in the developing world, which is thoroughly alarming, but also helps explain the total lack of vision of a failing government. The Times continued that ‘his private remarks will strike a chord with many others working in the Brown government who feel frustrated  at the prime minister’s failure to articulate simple, clear and plausible narratives.’  Working in business as well as doing a PhD in Corporate Governance and Leadership,  a  clear strategy, a mission with a vision, communication and delivery are vital for any organisation to prosper and that includes UK PLC.

Saturday night I hosted the Summer Viennese Ball at St George’s Hall for charity. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and principal conductor Vasily Petrenko provided the music along with the Greg Fancis Orchestra and the guests danced all night long,  finally performing an impromtu Can Can!

UK & World Champions Vincent & Flavia, Vasily Petrenko & me.

Also did you know Johann Strauss Snr came to Liverpool 171 years ago, 3 years before the Phil were formed and performed a number of sell out concerts at Cooke’s Amphitheatre (where the Royal Court is now) – perhaps that visit prompted the start of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Earlier that day the annual bowling tournament at Great Meols took place. I was talked through various bowling techniques by the ex president Lenny and was allowed to have a practise game.                                                                               Pictured below ; Watching, serious thought, rolling the ball, big action running shot!

and ….. beginners luck. Only kidding I placed them together for the photo!

 The Wirral Show was even better than last year and the threatened monsoon rain stayed away.  For me the highlights of the weekend were The Royal Artillery Parachute Team,  The Merseyside Police Mounted Section, Rockwood Dog Display team and the Yakovlevs Aerial Display Team.

And a spot of golf for the ladies – a business breakfast networking event hosted by my business working group. It was a beginners trial day.

Thanks to everyone who came to help with the litter pick in Thingwall – some of the team are pictured below. In the space of a hour we managed to fill 5 full backs with broken glass, crisp and sweet wrappers, cans and cigarette buts.

Ah yes Esther with the Marigold gloves! Pictured alongside the gloves; Adam Sykes, Colette and Geoff Gubb.

Next month we’ll be doing a litter pick & tidyup in another area, if you’d like to nominate an area, or come and help out then call the office on 0151 632 1052From Thingwall it was straight to Dawpool (hands washed and clothes changed along the way!) for the primary school’s summer fair with live band ‘Hazar and Hollow’, line dancing ,’The Claire Knight Dancers ‘ and Judo demonstrations. There was also lots of hair dye present and children walking round with multi coloured hair - all part of the fun -  when the rain came I wondered what happened to that hair dye ?  I remember when I was 14 and put bright red on my hair and the heavens opened and  it all streamed down my face – I looked like I’d walked off a horror movie  set – wasn’t quite the look I was going for!

Crowds packed out Dawpool Primary School Summer Fair

Last night I was the guest speaker at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. I’d been asked to give a speech on ‘Creative Industries and Associated Businesses in a Recession’. My talk was to cover my career from law into media and then into business , detailing the journey and how it had unfolded in the last recession. David Parish author of ‘T-shirts and Suits – A guide to the Business of Creativity’ was the other guest speaker.

The audience were all budding entrepreneurs from the world of art and culture, media and music, concerned about what the future held for them.

In our very different ways, reflecting our different experiences we revealed what we considered to be our key survival traits & knowledge on  how to survive in this highly competitive arena.

Last night I jumped a cab and as always struck up a conversation with the driver. He’d heard all about the families from FFFJ going to London and meeting with members of parliament, he’d been listening to the coverage on radio and said – ”This group sentence is exactly what we need. We need to send a clear message to criminals and take them off the street’ .I went to get out of the cab and pay the bill when the cabbie asked – how does the group raise money? I said coffee mornings, fundraising nights, donations, that sort of thing and he leant across and said ‘take this, put it in the donation box’ and pressed a note in my hand. June Hopley is the treasurer and I gave her the donation straight away. You can not but help be moved by the kindness and the goodwill of the majority of people you meet. I know FFFJ will have success, there are too many people willing them on and in accord with their stance.

Just a little addition to the above – after getting out the cab I bumped into a friend, Mike McArdle, who has a group and had just got back from doing a Rat Pack Event in London, I told him the tale – straight away he offered to put on a gig here in Liverpool to help raise money -  If you’d like to know more please go to www.familiesfightingforjustice.com

There are good people around – lets not allow the miscreant few over rule the majority of good, hard working, kind human beings. Let’s send out a clear message that we as a society will not tolerate such actions and that there will be strict penalties for those that break the rules.