Last Thursday (12th June) Nick Clegg came to Ludlow Constituency to support local Liberal Democrats in their campaign to retake the marginal seat from the Conservatives.

As part of his visit he went to Lydbury North School, where he offered his support to parents, pupils and governors in their fight to keep the school open in the face of the County’s closure policy. BBC report: "Clegg backs move to save school"

Coming on the same day as the resignation of Conservative Shadow Spokesman David Davies, Nicks visit drew the national media as well as regional TV and press to the school.

“Nicks visit has been excellent “said local schools campaigner Cllr Heather Kidd “it has given the school’ campaign a real boost not only allowing parents to tell Nick about their campaign but giving the campaign air time on the local TV as well as appearing on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 evening news”

Nick Clegg added “It has been a real privilege to help this community in their fight. Why any council should seek to close such a strong community school with a good academic record is beyond me”.

Nick also visited Much Wenlock to speak with local NFU officers and local farmers. Amongst the matters discussed were bovine TB, new European regulations on pesticides, especially fungicides, and the impact of the rising cost of fuel on the industry. The meeting was also attended by David Collier, Director West Mids NFU, and Andrew Richards, Senior NFU Policy Officer.

Later, Nick launched the Shropshire branch of Liberal Youth at Wistanstow. The launch was also attended by Elaine Bagshaw, National Chair of Liberal Youth, and Martin Shapland, the group's international officer.

At the launch Nick said: "All over Britain, and here in Shropshire, it's becoming clear that young people are ready to join a party that shares their values.

"Liberal Youth is a movement led by young people that will give them the chance to turn their values and hopes into political change."

Speaking at the launch Heather Kidd said: "We hope to be able to build on this gathering of people who attended to encourage more young people to become involved in politics. We have already set up an email group for our young activists and we will hopefully be setting up a youth blog shortly."

Nick closed out his day by attending a dinner at Wistanstow Village Hall which was attended by over 100 supporters. The dinner raised well over £1,000 for the Ludlow LibDems' fighting fund. The opportunity to talk with Nick on an individual level was greatly appreciated by those who attended.

In his address to the gathering he discussed the day's events and the David Davies resignation. He also talked about David Cameron, Gordon Brown and the Liberal Democrats' prospects and opportunities at the next election. Nick highlighted the golden opportunity we have, both locally and nationally, to change the political landscape.

Commenting on Heather Kidd's prospects at the next general election, Nick said: "Heather is a first class candidate and I very much look forward to welcoming her into parliament at the next general election. She is a tremendous asset and you should be very proud to have her as your candidate.

Constituency Chairman, Charles West, thanked Nick for his visit: "Nick Clegg demonstrates many of the best qualities of Liberal Democrats. He has values, he has passion and he works hard. Nick's visit has been a real shot in the arm for local Liberal Democrats."

Click here to view more photo's of Nick Clegg's visit.

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FUEL PRICES PUT VOLUNTEER DRIVERS OUT OF POCKET

Cllr Heather Kidd, Lib Dem Campaigner for Ludlow and Bridgnorth is to lobby the Health Trust on behalf of volunteer ‘hospital drivers’ after it emerged that recent fuel price rises are putting them out of pocket every time they do their work.

Heather said “I have been approached by a number of these volunteers. They do an excellent job, giving their time freely to ferry residents who have no transport to hospitals throughout our area. Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Welshpool and Shrewsbury all have such schemes. The only recompense they receive is 40p a mile from the Shropshire and Powys Health Authorities. In a rural area like Shropshire, where public transport is thin on the ground, they perform a vital task.

Dropping Out

“Unfortunately the recent steep rise in fuel cost has meant that volunteers are out of pocket every time they do a job. As a result, many are seriously considering giving up, including one who has done the job for over a decade. Some areas do not now have enough drivers to cope with the demand. So far the Health Authorities haven’t responded to this change in circumstance. In Powys the 40p rate has remained unchanged for 5 years whilst in Shropshire the rate was reduced last year from 47p to 40p a mile.

There are two things that need to happen:

“There is a real onus on the Government to act quickly on this as the Inland Revenue currently tax mileage rates over 40p a mile compounding the problem. The Health Authorities also need to review this as a matter of urgency.

“We rely heavily on volunteers in the UK for many valuable jobs and I don’t think we should take any for granted. I will be writing to the PCT asking them to urgently review this situation. I have also asked the Lib Dem Treasury spokesman, Vince Cable MP to question the Chancellor on this in Parliament.”

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