Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, made her fourth visit to the Isle of Wight at the weekend to support Island Greens in their bid to get Green voices elected onto the Isle of Wight Council in next month’s local elections.
“Coming third in the General Election – the biggest progressive vote – was a huge achievement and there is much more to come” she told the audience on Sunday night at the Apollo Theatre, Newport, whilst introducing an evening of short films from around the globe. “With visits from our co-leaders Jonathan Bartley, Caroline Lucas and myself I can tell you that the Green Party takes the Isle of Wight very seriously indeed.”
Natalie visited Sandown and discussed big plans for much needed regeneration of the area with Green Party candidate for Sandown South, Eric Lawson, who told Natalie:
“We need a Sandown Town Strategy to engage the community and focus regeneration efforts. Excellent work has been done on the seafront in Swanage, Dorset – a similar environment to Sandown Bay – and top class public facilities such as a small stage for performance, spoken word and public meetings could become a beacon for the bay.”
Beach safety was highlighted in Colwell by Freshwater North candidate, Daniel James, who showed Ms Bennett how the Council’s decision to remove the safety buoys means that propeller boats now pass directly through the area where children swim. He is campaigning to enforce the bylaw, and provide a safe bathing area for residents and tourists, before any accident occurs.
Natalie Bennett also spent time in Newport, meeting Rebecca Blachford, Green Party candidate for Newport North, who with her children’s café Bebeccino has won many awards – most recently through to the Federation of Small Businesses national finals in London as Community Business of the Year.
The Downside Community Centre and community café, staffed by volunteers in Pan, was Natalie’s final stop. She spoke with staff about the Adult Education and cookery classes which are run from the excellent facilities on site, and how important it is to equip all families with the practical skills needed to cook quality meals at a reasonable cost.
There are 25 Green Party candidates standing on 4th May across the island. More details on who is standing in your area and the values they hold can be found at https://isleofwight.greenparty.org.uk/local-elections.html.
