The Foulkes Forge building on the Stourport Road has been undergoing a renaissance in the last couple of years. Two years ago, local company Lawrence Skip Hire entered into an agreement to buy the site and redevelop it into Europe’s biggest recycling centre. Two years and a severe downturn in the economy later, the recycling centre is open for business.
The Albrighton Woodland Hunt held their annual point to point at Chaddesley Corbett on the second May bank holiday Monday, with good weather and good attendances. Mark and his family went to see the racing and then met with regional MEP candidates and Conservative Europe group leader Timothy Kirkhope to meet local racegoers.
Following on from Mark’s trip to the Houses of Parliament on Monday, Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling visited Kidderminster to meet with a number of Junior PACT groups from across the district. About 30 youngsters were in attendance to hear about the work Chris does and to put forward their views about a range of local issues.
Kidderminster Community Support Officer Lyndon Lloyd and Mark Garnier took a group of youngsters to London to visit the House of Commons. The group of about 10 were the members of Foley Park Primary School Junior PACT committee, and were there to see how Parliament works.
Grant Shapps, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Housing was a guest of Mark Garnier to meet with Wyre Forest Community Housing. Grant was invited to come and visit to learn more about activities of the local housing company, and to be able to hear what their issues and concerns are. Importantly, grant was able to share with local housing bosses his thoughts about policy should Conservatives win the next general election and form the Government.
Mark visited Stourport pistol club to meet with local enthusiast and to listen to concerns about their sport. Mark, himself a county class target rifle shot, is well aware of the emotive issues that surround firearms.
Mark Garnier met with local FSB Chairman Ken Wigfield to learn more about the activities of the FSB locally and to learn more about the specific problems affecting Wyre Forest. Across the country, 99.3% of businesses employ fewer than 50 people, with nearly half the population working for these small businesses. In Wyre Forest, about 85% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people.
Mark returned to Care Farm UK to learn more about their activities and to see first hand how the approach works. Accompanied by John Dover, Mark first visited a smallholding where newly released offenders and recovering drug users work hard on the local vegetable crops and tend the pigs, goats, chickens and turkeys. This was followed by a visit to a similar set up, concentrating on the requirements of those with special education needs. Finally, a tour of a new smallholding, in the process of being constructed by excluded pupils finished off the tour.
Mark Garnier was a judge at the Young Enterprise Competition Wyre Forest final held at Kidderminster’s King Charles I school. The three finalists were King Charles, Wolverley High and Baxter College. All three put on excellent displays showing their successes at producing saleable goods and services and how they had managed to set up and run profitable businesses.
Economic figures published on Friday confirm what economist have feared for some time – that the economy is shrinking at a level not seen since Labour lost the election in 1979. GDP fell by 1.9% for Q1 2009, worse than the 1.5% predicted by the government and the third consecutive quarterly fall.
