Welcome to my latest newsletter, I hope you are well. I have surgeries coming up in Bradford on Avon, Melksham and regularly at my office in Chippenham, so please do let me know if you would like to speak to me or if I can help in any way.

Last weekend we went along to the Scarecrow Trail in Holt - every year I am so impressed by the creativity and I know that a lot of hard work goes into organising each of the local trails.

Whilst Parliament has been in recess, I have been getting out and about knocking on doors and finding out how I can help as your local MP - more on that in my next newsletter, but rest assured I have been getting plenty of steps in!

I would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended and supported my charity dinner and auction last Friday evening in support of Melksham Free Dining. It was very well attended and I am pleased to report we raised a huge £4000 for the Free Diners! Thank you to all of those who bought tickets and those local businesses and individuals who donated prizes for the event.

Chippenham Train Station Improvements

🎉✂️ Fantastic to cut the ribbon and officially open Chippenham train station’s remarkable new £1 million accessibility scheme, improving the travel experience for all. Here's what you need to know👇

✨ After six months of hard work, a third lift has been installed at Chippenham station, enhancing accessibility on the north side of the platforms.

🔁 The footbridge stairs have been rotated, creating a safer pedestrian pathway and improving access across the railway line.

♿️ Step-free access to both platforms is now provided by a lift at Union Road car park, ensuring convenience for passengers with mobility challenges.

🅿️ Additional disabled parking spaces and cycle parking facilities have been installed, making commuting more convenient than ever.

Having pushed to improve accessibility at Chippenham Station over the years, I am really happy to see these improvements and the completion of the scheme - ensuring easy access and step-free convenience for all local residents and visitors. 🙌🚆

A big thank you to everyone involved in this project, including Great Western Railway, Network Rail and Wiltshire Council.

Melksham Campus Surgery

Great to see lots of people at my surgery at the Community Campus in Melksham a couple of weeks ago - wide range of different issues raised with me which I will be taking up with the Minister's responsible. The Campus opened last year and is such a fantastic asset for the community, so do check it out if you have not already been!

Latest Progress On Restoring The Hop Pole!

💫 🍻 Great to see the latest progress on restoring The Hop Pole pub in Limpley Stoke - it was purchased by a community campaign back in 2021, and then received a £300,000 government grant last year from the Community Ownership Fund which I helped to support.  

🤝📈 The tireless efforts of the Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society have already raised nearly £600,000 of private investment, with plans for a village shop and post office in addition to a newly and carefully restored Hop Pole. You can see some of the progress so far here.

🍸🍷 The work is being completed in three phases with the aim of officially reopening next Summer.

🥂🎉 Every time I meet the group I can’t help but be blown away at their incredible work, and keen to continue supporting the campaign however I can along with Cllr Johnny Kidney! 

Fantastic Turnout At Semington Fete!

🌟 Really enjoyed the Semington fete last Saturday - the rain did not dampen the community spirit and the crowds still flocked! A big well done to all the organisers and volunteers on such a successful fete. 🙌

🏡 A pleasure to speak to residents about local issues and hear your thoughts and concerns.

🐻 My ‘Name the Parliamentary Bear’ competition raised a good amount of money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance, thanks to the generosity and support shown by Semington Village.  🚁 

UK Technology Influence List 2023

🌐👨‍💻 Honoured to have been named the most influential person in British technology in 2023 in the UKtech50 list, jointly with Chloe Smith MP who picked up the baton as Secretary of State back when I was on maternity leave.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created by the Prime Minister back in February and it was an absolute privilege to have been charged with leading it.

Our goal is to make the UK a science and technology superpower, putting this work at the forefront of Government to help grow the economy and change people's lives for the better.

Since the Department was created, we have👇

🔬 Launched a new Science and Technology Framework

💙 Announced £40 million of investment into cutting-edge health research

👨‍💻 Pledged £5 billion of investment for fast, reliable broadband across the UK

👩‍🔬 Announced £1 billion into supercomputing and AI research

📲 Launched £100 million for AI startups

💼  Appointed some of the biggest names in tech to our non-exec board

🚨 Protected people from tech and cyber crime

💻 Brought a new data protection bill through Parliament

↗️ Facilitated the sale of Silicon Valley Bank UK to HSBC

A huge amount of work in just 7 months, but plenty more to do!

Free Speech Bill Now Law

📣 The Free Speech Bill I took through Parliament as Higher Education Minister is now law! 💪 Throughout its passage, I strengthened the law to protect free speech on our campuses - ensuring that universities are not just places that tolerate free speech, but actively encourage it.

🇬🇧 Free speech is what makes the UK one of the most open, prosperous and tolerant countries in the world. But it has been under attack by an intolerant few on our university campuses. Lecturers were forced to get Police protection, physical and verbal abuse hurled at visiting speakers, 1 in 4 students were scared to express their views on campus. Something needed to change, and this Bill delivers on our commitment to do just that. ⚖️

✅ Universities and unions that try to shut down students and academics rights to freely express lawful speech can now face sanctions or fines, and those they attempt to silence will now have clear routes of redress in law. 

Record Education Funding For Our Schools!

✅ Confirmed: highest ever level of Government funding for education in real terms, totalling £60 billion for 2024-25. More money than ever before is being invested in our schools, ensuring that every child gets a world class education. 📚✏️

✅ Since becoming your MP in 2015, I have consistently campaigned for further education funding, as I have always believed that a quality education is the key to helping every child reach their full potential, no matter what background they come from. 🚀

✅ I also saw the importance of skills and quality teaching first-hand during my time on the Education Select Committee, and then over the three years I spent as a Minister at the Department for Education. 🧑‍🏫

✅ Schools will also be given additional funding from Government to fund a 6.5% pay increase for teachers – the highest increase in thirty years, preventing further disruption to learning. 💬

✅ You may have seen that I also recently helped to secure an additional £2.4 million for primary and secondary schools in Wiltshire - I will also continue to push for further investment, so that our schools can give local pupils the best possible education.

King's Award For Coombe Castle, Melksham!

In April, Coombe Castle International in Melksham were bestowed with the prestigious King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade - a remarkable achievement, marking their fifth Enterprise award and the first from The King himself! 👑🎉

I have visited the company many times over the last 8 years and helped them as the local MP when they have faced challenges.

This month I had the honour of attending the presentation of the award to the company, held at the Wiltshire Air Ambulance HQ in Semington. Coombe Castle's commitment to supporting the charity and the local community for years made this venue the perfect choice. 🚁

The award was presented by the esteemed Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Lt Gen Sir Andrew Gregory  

Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board

🏡 What is the Chippenham Town Centre Partnership board, why did I set it up, and what progress have we made so far?👇

 ✅ I set up and chair the board as I wanted to bring all the key stakeholders together to actually commit to investing in our town, increasing footfall and expanding the high street, working together to make it happen with regular meetings and progress. It's so important those who live, shop and work in Chippenham are the ones who decide the future of our town, so that's what I wanted the board to be all about.

✅ We discussed lots of fantastic ideas - my personal favourite was making the river a real feature of the town and utilising it to support businesses, but there were lots of great ideas.

✅ So earlier this year we launched The Chippenham One Plan, which brings together some existing plans and new ones into a single document focused on getting your views - so that we can work this up to bid for Government funding and secure private investment too.

✅ A consultation on the plan ran for 6 weeks in the Spring so that as many folks as possible could have their say. We will be discussing the most popular ideas at our next meeting and taking them forward, so look out for the results in the coming weeks!

📈 In summary, the work the board is doing will set out a single plan for the future of Chippenham town centre, and give the town the best chance of securing government and private investment, because there is a community-designed plan on the table and ready to go.

Other News In Brief

• A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise the centenary celebrations in John Coles Park in Chippenham recently - it was a very fitting, 1920s themed occasion to mark 100 years of the park being such an important asset to the community!

• Great opportunity for local families in Corsham to meet other parents and socialise - The RISE Trust are running sessions at Springfield Community Campus for parents to connect and for children to play together. I will try and take my little man along if I get a chance! The RISE Trust are a local charity who do a great job providing a wide range of advice and support for parents and children across Wiltshire, including providing children's centre services. 

• Great to see so many local residents supporting Hilperton's own BB Band recently. A big thank you to the band, all the helpers on the night and Sarah and Gerald who manned the bar. A brilliant £500 was raised, which will be used to help support the Village Hall.

• The government has announced the launch of the new South West Investment Fund, which will deliver £200 million in funding through investment to meet the demands of businesses here in the South West. The fund will enhance the assortment of early stage finance for smaller enterprises which may not otherwise receive investment. The fund aims to help break down barriers in access to finance, helping to boost productivity, innovations and jobs.

• Really exciting news for Home-Start North Wiltshire, who are based in Devizes and have received a whopping £337,500 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund! This incredible achievement is a testament to their outstanding work in supporting families with young children during challenging times.

• Do you know a local charity or community group supporting vulnerable people in our community that could benefit from a share of £76 million of government support? The fund is designed to support frontline charities and community organisations meet increased demand for their critical services. Organisations can apply for grants worth between £10,000 and £75,000 to cover project and core costs from now until the end of March 2024. You can find out more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter – please do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can help with, or if you would like to speak to me at my next surgery.

Best wishes,

Michelle Donelan

Member of Parliament for Chippenham Constituency