The Coronation was a momentous and glorious occasion. I cannot believe how quickly it came around after weeks of preparation and excitement. I wanted our area to make a contribution, so I organised a competition with local primary schools to design a Coronation card for The King. Lorcan from Spellbrook Primary School’s design was eventually crowned the worthy winner and his classmate, Lexie’s, was the runner-up. It was wonderful to surprise them both at school with the good news myself - their excitement was priceless! I have since posted the card to Buckingham Palace and am confident His Majesty is just as impressed.
In Bishop’s Stortford, I visited the new Pret A Manger to meet and support the team there. The franchise is run by a local businessman, James, who grew up in the town. The shop now employs 15 people from the surrounding area and donates to a local charity. It is a really is a great new addition to the high street.
I also visited a local metal spinning business, Sapphire Spinning Ltd, in Bishop's Stortford too. It is an amazing company, requiring special skills that must continue to be taught - their products are in space, ventilators which saved lives during Covid, James Bond helicopters & even R2D2’s head! I will absolutely raise the importance of supporting this sector and its incredible ventures with my colleagues in government.
In Parliament, I met with the new Chief Executive Officer Maxine Bromyard at Citizens Advice East Herts. We discussed my support for their incredible work across Hertford and Stortford and how we can best continue to work together. It was a pleasure speaking with Maxine, and I wish her every success in her new role.
The issues at Stortford Fields need to be resolved. That is why I have visited the site and met with residents, developers and planners over the course of many months now. I continue to work with everyone involved to push for real progress, and can now share an update on two of the most current issues as a result. A consultancy firm has been appointed to review the work so far to establish the Stortford Fields Company and provide a clear strategy to bring arrangements into line. A third-party landscaper is also assessing why planting at the site failed and how this will be rectified going forwards. Though progress up until this point has been frustratingly slow, this is encouraging news and things are finally starting to move in the right direction. I will continue to work on this and provide you with updates as soon as I can.
If you need my help with this issue or any others, please do not hesitate to email me at julie.marson.mp@parliament.uk. As always, I am here to help.