Newsletter December 2020
Braintree Constituency Conservative Association
Members, Colleagues and Friends,
I wrote to you all on behalf of the Association, in June as we were nearing the end of the first “lock down” and then we all hoped that we were about to return to a more normal life, but as we all know now after the summer respite Essex was placed in Tier 2 restrictions followed by a second lock down. As I write we have just received the news that Braintree will be in the Essex Tier 3 restrictions leading up to the Christmas Holidays.
Firstly, and most importantly I trust that you are all safe and well, and making the most of this difficult time, I know that many of you continue to care for your neighbours, friends and relatives and leading up the Christmas Holidays it will be a challenge making decisions about the safest way to join family and friends in celebrating Christmas and still share the spirit of Christmas.
I know this has been a difficult year for us all in our private lives and the Association is no different however the work of the Officers and Executive continues to deliver the service that the members need, and despite the problems with raising funds in 2020, we remain optimistic about 2021.
The 2021 Essex County Council elections scheduled for May are planned to go ahead and to that end our campaigning has now started and will be in full swing after the Christmas and New Year Festivities. The campaign will be different from our usual campaign due to Covid-19 restrictions but rest assured all those that take part will be kept safe and campaign in line with party official guidance from CCHQ, and we will be encouraging postal voting as much as possible. The Association now has a full slate of candidates all of whom are strong local advocates with a track records of public service, and we believe all should be elected, but this will need all our support as the campaign gains momentum.
Your candidates and their Divisions are:
- Lynette Bowers-Flint, Bocking
- Graham Butland, Great Notley and Three Fields
- Tom Cunningham, Braintree Town
- David Finch, Hedingham
- Chris Siddall, Halstead
Your Association Officers want to wish you all a Happy and peaceful Christmas and hope that 2021 sees us all returning to life where we are able to meet in social settings, enjoy meals with friends and family, travel more widely and enjoy entertainment outside our homes which will enable the economy to start to recover.
Best wishes
John McKee
Chairman BCCA
P/S Don’t Forget James is hosting a Virtual Christmas Drinks on Friday, so treat yourself to a box of Mr Kipling’s and a tipple of your choice and join us on FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER AT 7.30 PM (for 1 hour) for virtual drinks and mince pies with James. Contact Karen in the office for details
Fundraising update.2020,
I am very pleased to report with the support of members and friends we have been able to take part in the Conservative Christmas draw and raised £476.25. A member, Amy Lewis sold the most tickets and can look forward to Lunch for two with our MP. Only a couple of weeks ago Members took part in a Christmas Zoom quiz which was enjoyed by all and raised £165.00 and our sincere thanks to all those who supported these events.
Another Zoom quiz and a Zoom race night are being planned for early in the New year and details of dates etc. for these will be forwarded shortly.
999 Club
I would like to thank all our members of the 999 club. This has provided a valuable source of fundraising income for the Association during the last year, as well as benefiting those members who were lucky enough to receive cash prizes. If you are not a member and want to hear more please contact Karen in the office.
Summer Dinner.
Our Summer dinner is provisionally booked for Friday 25th June 2021 at Stisted golf club, Stisted near Braintree. We sincerely hope that we will be in a position to hold this dinner and will be able to enjoy a Summer evening in the delightful setting of Stisted golf club with fellow members and friends and a guest speaker. We will be able to forward further details once the national picture for Summer becomes clearer.
Patron’s club.
It has been suggested by a fellow Member that we look to re-introduce something similar to the original ‘Patron’s club’, which I know was a successful group within BCCA. We are working on some of the finer detail for this and where the original Club had a special dinner in London, we think that this might be a deterrent to some members who may feel they don’t want to venture into London, so we would be looking at local venues as we are keen to help our local businesses in the district to support Covid recovery. We want this to be an association that works for all members not just a few so would very much welcome any input or suggestion or your thoughts on this. We very much look forward to hearing your views.
Mary Cunningham
Deputy Chairman. Membership and Fundraising.
