Andrew Percy's Blog

Peter Crouch

andrew — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:03:14 +0100

On Monday I attended the All Party Communications Group which met to discuss Ofcom's recent ruling forcing Sky to allow other pay TV providers to offer Sky Sports 1 & 2 to customers. The event, sponsored by BT, included a discussion between Martin Keown, the former Arsenal & England player, and Spurs striker Peter Crouch.

Peter discussed the recent World Cup, Spurs' forthcoming premiership, as well as investment in the grassroots, development for academies of talent, football finance and the number of English players and managers.

It was a fascinating event and I think most people there were a bit star struck by Peter! I certainly look struck in the photo!

Out and About

andrew — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:01:47 +0100

I had a fantastic weekend out and about in the constituency. Friday night we had a joint dinner with the Cleethorpes constituency at Elsham Golf Club where our guest speaker was Martin and mine's predecessor in the old constituency of Brigg and Cleethorpes.

Saturday I started at the Sobriety Project in Goole where I was asked to kick off the celebration for the 100th birthday of the vessel Sobriety which used to chug up and down our local waterways before it was donated about 25 years ago to start the Sobriety project in Goole. The project does fantastic work with disaffected young people and others in Goole and I am full of nothing but admiration for the work they undertake. I was keen to pay particular tribute in my speech to the founder and staff at the project.

I then went on to my surgery in Epworth before heading to the Old Rectory in Epworth for Wesleyana Day. I'm pictured with Claire Potter, the curator and director at the Old Rectory. The book is a 1661 commentary on the new testament which belonged to John Wesley himself. Claire and her team are trying to raise money to restore the book by asking people to pay £1 to dedicate a page of the book to whoever they want. I bought five and dedicated one to our constituency. The Old Rectory of course is where John Wesley was raised and it is a fantastic place to visit.

Goole High School Scoops Princess Diana Award

andrew — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:56:06 +0100

I had forgotten to blog about my recent visit to Goole High School to meet with pupils who had received a Diana, Princess of Wales award for their pioneering anti-bullying mentor scheme. The scheme sees older students buddying up with new and younger students as part of a mentoring scheme.

The scheme has been incredibly successful and the young people I spoke to about the scheme really were fantastic. Scooping such an important award is a credit to them and to Goole High School which seems to be going from strength to strength at the moment.

In other news I spent this weekend at a number of really enjoyable events in the constituency including the truly fantastic Rescue Day at 7 Lakes, Crowle. The event was attended by thousands of people and I was amazed at just how large it was.

Sunday I spent at the Broughton Show where I joined Councillor Ivan Glover, Mayor of Broughton, and his wife Anne. The Mayoress and I had the task of judging the fancy dress competition. It was a tough call as all of the kids had made such a great effort.

Whitgift and Airmyn Summer Fairs

andrew — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:30:05 +0100

The glorious sunshine is making this year's summer fairs and galas an absolute joy to attend. There is nothing like a cream tea in the sunshine surrounded by fantastic local residents. I've been asked to open quite a few of these this year including the Whitgift Chirch fete where I am pictured with the show Queen and her attendants.

Whitgift is a beautiful church which is famed for its 13 o' clock that was apparently used as a navigational tool by the Germans in World War 2. It is well worth a visit.

I also had the delight of popping in on the Airmyn Primary School summer fair which, being in my own village, didn't require much of a drive! The new Headteacher has asked me to go in and speak with the kids and I will be happy to do so in the Autumn.

One Small Step ...

andrew — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:38:10 +0100

I managed to fulfil one of my ambitions this week by getting to meet a real life astronaut. The crew of the space shuttle Atlantis visited the House of Commons after completing a tour of UK schools where they have been speaking to try to encourage kids to take an interest in maths and science.

The presence of a space shuttle crew on the terrace caused quite a stir, especially as they were in their blue NASA suits. I spent some time chatting with astronaut Garrett Reisman who when questioned as to what they were doing on the terrace, told more than one person they had been drafted in to fix the roof.

It was fascinating to speak with Garrett who hails from New Jersey where I worked for a year. There were plenty of kids about who were awestruck by their presence, as was I.

It was great to see them and I've taken a photo to send to my kids at school as we were studying space as a theme earlier this year!

Crowle Market Place and Winterton Show

andrew — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:27:39 +0100

I had a great time at the Winterton Show last Sunday with the weather helping to bring out what looked like record numbers of visitors. I had never seen the show car park so busy!

We had our usual stand at the show and I seemed to spend my whole day shaking hands with people who wanted to say well done and congratulations etc. I was surprised how many people had come from other parts of the constituency and I also managed to pick up a lot more casework too. The photo shows me at the Federation of Small Business stand.

I also attended the opening of Crowle Market Place last week and I am photographed holding the name plate for the new road which has been created. Brunyee Road was picked because of the historic connection of the name to the town.

Visiting the Lowther.

andrew — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:26:02 +0100

Long delay in posts but we are still trying to get sorted with the offices. Everything takes for ever in Parliament!

Anyways, I was delighted to be asked to visit the Lowther by Julie and Howard Duckworth recently to view the renovation of this really important historic building. I was fascinated by the 19^th century murals on the wall which it is thought show the original blue print for Goole. They are well worth a look at and I pay tribute to Julie and Howard for the way they have restored them. You also get a great view from the building of the docks and you can see from upstairs why Goole was called the ‘Port in Green Fields.’

The building was at the centre of Goole’s development as a port and its value to Goole’s heritage cannot be underestimated and it was great to be on site to see the renovation taking place. I didn’t get the chance to visit the Lowther’s basement this time where apparently the original cells and bonding warehouse have been uncovered.

The developers have some exciting plans for the Lowther and the surrounding area and I look forward to meeting with them again in the future.

Hitting the Ground Running!

andrew — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:45:48 +0100

At last I have found some time to start updating the website! Ever since I was elected just two and a bit weeks ago I don't seem to know whether I am coming or going. I couldn't imagine how badly organised things are for new MPs at Westminster. There are no offices available to use so no fixed phone line, the new expenses system means that employing staff and getting a constituency office takes for ever!

I therefore apologise if I am not getting back to people as quickly as I would like but it is simply taking far too long to get stuff set up here. Far too long for my liking in any event! I want to be as effective as possible as quickly as possible. We will get there though and I am hoping to get our office in Goole up and running in the next 2-3 weeks.

That said, I haven't been resting on my laurels. I have had a ton of casework land on my desk which I have delighted in getting stuck into. That is the side of politics I love and I have already had a few successes which make the whole thing worthwhile.

In addition to that I have -

Hosted surgeries in Epworth, Goole, Brigg and Crowle.
Met with the police in Crowle to discuss how we can tackle anti-social behaviour (see photo).
Taken part in the Brigg Big Clean-Up.
Met parents at South Axholme concerned about the Labour Council's attempt to cancel their school bus.
Had a meeting with some of the business owners in Epworth regarding parking.
Attended the Snaith Help for Heroes Night.
Opened the Brigg St Mary's Primary School Spring Fair.
Visited the Adlingfleet Fair.
Taken up the issue of two new Caravan sites on the Isle.
Met residents in Swinefleet regarding unfinished Environment Agency works.
Lobbied the new Secretary of State for Transport on the Humber Bridge issue.
Met Ministers over the Goole Port Rates issue which we have now won on.
Put down my first parliamentary questions

That's just the bits I can remember. Oh, I've also spent a bit of time down here in Parliament. It is certainly going to be a busy life from now on!

Thank You

andrew — Sun, 09 May 2010 11:17:18 +0100

I just wanted to write a quick note to say thank you to everyone who voted for me in the election. It has been an incredibly hectic time, and I will be writing soon about my plans for representing all the people of Brigg and Goole.

Nomination Accepted

andrew — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:41:37 +0100

My nomination paper to stand for election has now been accepted so I am now the official candidate! I am also the candidate who received the most nominations, some 30, compared to just 20 for Labour!

I am privileged to have been proposed by a Second World War veteran of Arnhem, and seconded by a veteran of the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This means a lot to me.