April 2011

Chameleon School of Construction Opens on Swadlincote Industrial Estate

Submitted by Heather on 28 April 2011 - 3:16pm
See video

 

I was delighted to attended the opening of Chameleon School of Construction on the 16th of April. The new school, set up by Jason and Angelica Duncan, will provide training for people wanting to find employment in the construction industry.
 
Jason and Angelica Duncan set up the school as they recognised that learners had to travel a considerable distance to get the necessary qualifications recognised by the industry. Jason himself has been teaching at Solihull and has more than 20 years experience including 5 years within the Further Education Sector is a member of the Institute of Learning  and a Member of the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers. The school will offer all levels of training course from basic to advanced plastering from 1 week short courses to fully accredited courses leading to an industry recognised qualification. The school will also offer Women's Only 2 day DIY courses.
 
The Chameleon School of construction aims to attract learners from Derby, Tamworth, Burton, Coalville as well as South Derbyshire and is supported by a host of agencies including the Derbyshire Network and the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce.
 
Jason and Angelica have done an excellent job. The school will be a real asset to South Derbyshire. No longer will those wanting to learn the key skills needed in the construction industry have to travel for miles to learn, they can do it locally. The opening has been a huge success with lots of people wanting to see the school building and the courses it offers. I wish the school all the success.
 
Furthermore, the Chameleon School of Construction has also entered Barclay’s 'Take One Small Step' Competition. Above you will see their entrance video. If you I would like more information about the competition please see my blog post on the 28th of March.
If you are having difficulties viewing this video from your computer, please follow the link below
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My Day with the Swadlincote Police Force

Submitted by Heather on 26 April 2011 - 5:49pm
Heahter Wheeler at South Derbyshire Police Station. Photo courtesy of Burton Mail

I wanted to see first hand what is being done to ‘crack down’ on crime in South Derbyshire, so I was delighted to accept an invitation to visit our local Police and in particular join one of our PC's on the beat. Although South Derbyshire has seen a 10.5% drop in crime figures during the past 11 months, there has been a rise in the theft of scrap metal and low-level drug dealing.

In the morning, I met with Andy Hough who is the senior officer responsible for the area that includes South Derbyshire and then I moved on to Swadlincote Police Station to meet with South Derbyshire section Inspector Paul Cannon. At St Mary’s Wharf I went to the custody suite and met the sergeant in charge. We then went to the cells and had a short chat with a prisoner. I also got a chance to see the highly successful Viper personal identification system at work. This is a system that is highly regarded by both defence counsel and the CPS. Viper stands for video identification parade electronic recording and the video ID parades are shown to witnesses replacing the old fashioned line-ups of suspects.
 

I spent the afternoon walking the beat with PC Gemma Thursfield in Newhall.  

I found the day really interesting. It is evident that the police in the local area are focusing on scrap metal theft, drug dealing and also the crimes that go with it, such as shoplifting and the selling on of goods. It was great for me to go out on the beat with PC Thursfield and see first hand what is being done to combat these problems.
 
I would like to thank Paul Cannon for inviting me along to Swadlincote police station.  I hope to repeat  this in the future and will blog again about crime matters and how they are being dealt with in South Derbyshire.
 
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My evening with the local Soroptimists

Submitted by Heather on 21 April 2011 - 9:11am

I was delighted to speak at the Burton-On-Trent Soroptimist International’s Annual General Meeting on Monday the 11th of April. The Club has members from Burton and surrounding Constituencies. My brief was to speak about my first year at Westminster and I was more than happy to share my experiences.  It was lovely to catch up with some old friends from around South Derbyshire.

 
Soroptimist International is a worldwide organization for women in management and professions, working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women. The Burton-on-Trent Soroptimisit are very active in our local community. This year they have had various fundraising events for SARAC (Sexual and Rape Advice Centre) and Burton upon Trent’s YMCA Homeless project, in which two Soroptimisit members took part in the YMCA sleep out in November.
 
The Soroptimisits have also shown their dedication to helping others through their continued efforts to collect toiletries for Pathway, an organisation which provides shelter for women and children. They have also helped with Derek’s Tree in Coopers Square Burton, the tree provides toys and gifts for disadvantaged children, including children being looked after at Pathway.
 
I hope that that the Burton-on-Trent Soroptimists continue their excellent work. They truly are a fine example of individuals working together to help local communities and more importantly I hope they continue the excellent work they are doing to promote human rights.
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Delighted to Chair the Wildlife Trust event addressed by the Minister of State for Agriculture, James Paice

Submitted by Heather on 20 April 2011 - 5:01pm

It was an absolute pleasure to chair a national Wildlife Trust event in the House of Commons, which aimed to highlight the value of funding nature and its recovery. The event showcased a number of Wildlife Trust projects around the UK which have been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HFL) and saw MPs pledge to ‘value our natural heritage.’ James Paice the Agricultural Minister also showed his support for the Trust by addressing the event.

The event really was a fantastic opportunity to show just how beneficial Wildlife Trust projects have been to local wildlife and people. Such projects, especially in South Derbyshire, highlight what can be done if a body invests in and values the natural environment. I look forward to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund continuing to work together to protect and restore nature and to help people engage with the natural world.
 
Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said at the event:
 
 “We warmly welcome the support that HLF has given to The Wildlife Trusts over 16 years. And we welcome the support shown by parliamentarians. With an uncertain economic future, we look forward to funding streams that protect and restore nature continuing. 
 
 “We are at a pivotal moment for nature which is vital to our lives and well-being. The Government has committed to producing a Natural Environment White Paper in May. We hope this will provide the right policy framework so that nature can thrive and recover. We urge parliamentarians to ensure the Government delivers an ambitious and visionary Natural Environment White Paper in May.” 
 
Carole Souter CBE, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, also said:
 
“Over the past 16 years the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded around £100million towards Wildlife Trust projects. This forms part of our wider commitment of £390million to more than 3,000 projects which support nature conservation across the UK. Our funding has made it possible to help people learn about, conserve and protect our incredible natural heritage. 
 
“We are now consulting on the future of Lottery funding for heritage, asking people to tell us what they think our priorities should be, what we should continue to do, and what we should do differently. Over the next few years the amount of money we will have available for heritage will increase to around £300million and we want to know how people think we should use it.”

 

Featured in the pictured from left to right is Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, Heather Wheeler MP for South Derbyshire and Carole Souter CBE, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund

 

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Environmental Scientifics Group new ‘super-laboratory’ comes to Bretby

Submitted by Heather on 19 April 2011 - 3:59pm
Heather Wheeler MP and Alex Sleeth Environmental Scientifics Group CEO

On the 6th of April I was delighted to officially open the Environmental Scientifics Group new ‘super-laboratory’ in Bretby.

The Environmental Scientifics Group (ESG), an environmental compliance and food-testing company, employs about 1,500 people across the country with 380 based at its site in Bretby. This new ‘super-laboratory will offer testing and analysis as well as additional specialist services.
 
I am so proud that Bretby was the chosen location for ESG’s new laboratory. The level of service ESG provides to such a wide range of industries is truly impressive. Their ability to meet different specialist needs requires the right combination of skills, knowledge and customer service, something ESG clearly excel at. This new laboratory is an important addition to their services and reinforces their commitment to growing their business and providing future employment opportunities to the local area.
 
The firm's chief executive, Alex Sleeth, said: "Environmental Scientifics Group is committed to excellent customer service both today and in the long term.
"Our new superlab offers customers first-class turnaround times, technical expertise and data integrity, which combine to provide unrivalled analytical and laboratory testing services."
 
As well as building the new laboratory, the firm has refurbished its group headquarters and brought its central services functions together.
The Environmental Scientifics Group new superlab is based at Bretby Business Park, on Ashby Road East.
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My Visit to Newhall Community Junior School

Submitted by Heather on 14 April 2011 - 4:05pm

I was delighted to visit Newhall Community Junior School on Friday the 8th of April. I wanted to see firsthand the excellent progress the school has made since being placed in special measures in November 2010 and also see the problems the school faces and how they are tackling them.

 
During the visit I was shown around the school and met with the Acting Head Mrs Weaver, the staff and pupils. I also watched pupils take part in their handwriting lessons, during which the pupils were able to showcase their brilliant writing skills.
 
I was so impressed with the children; they were so well behaved and are a real credit to the school and its staff. From looking around and seeing what the teachers and children are doing it is clear that Newhall is making excellent progress and is on the right path to making the improvements necessary to get them out of special measures. I am certain that with the hard work of the teachers and staff here, under the steady eye of visiting Head Mr Mansell, that will happen in no time. Well done for all your hard work.
 
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Met Office Upgrades its National Sever Weather Warning Service

Submitted by Heather on 14 April 2011 - 11:20am

I am pleased to announce that the Met Office has recently upgraded its National Sever Weather Warning Service (NSWWS), which will hopefully allow us all to be better prepared ahead of dangerous and disruptive weather.

The Met Office’s upgrades include; an improved website display making it easier for the public to find information that is relevant to them; warnings have been made simpler and clearer using less technical language and will be streamlined into categories; alerts and warnings will now be based on both the expected weather conditions and the potential impact they may have, recognising that the same weather in different parts of the UK can have a different impact. The Met Office has also made the language they use in NSWWS consistent with that used by others including the Environmental Agency in relation to flood warning.

To see these changes please visit the Met Office website on http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

I welcome these upgrades, the Met Office’s commitment to driving forward all aspects of its forecasting and warning capability will only help us to manage risk more effectively and allow us to be more prepared in the event of future severe weather conditions.

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South Derbyshire’s Seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Submitted by Heather on 12 April 2011 - 5:15pm

I have recently received a constituency update from Natural England informing me that South Derbyshire now has seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest, covering an area of 157 hectors, 98% which is in favourable or recovering condition.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are a national statutory designation, protecting the very best wildlife and geological sites, and include some of the most spectacular and beautiful habitats in the country.
 
Our Sites of Special Scientific Interest include Calke Park, Carver’s Rocks, Dimminsdale, Donnington Park, Hilton Gravel Pits, the River Mease and Ticknall Quarries. Calke Park is an outstanding example of ancient wood-pasture with over 500 ancient trees. Many are over 400 years old, some over 700 and two of the oaks are over 1,000 years old. In fact the Natural England referred to Calke Park as ‘one of the most important wildlife sites in the East Midlands’ due to the fact it is has one of the richest saproxylic (decaying-wood) invertebrate faunas in Britain and a rich assemblage of fungi. To add to this the park hosts over 250 beetle species and over 20 species of butterfly, woodland birds and bats.

 

I am so proud that the owners of these sites and Natural England are working together to protect and maintain them for the benefit of the natural environment and the local community. For those that haven’t yet visited them, check them out on google for visitor information and do show your support for such wonders in our midst.

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