Every fortnight Kevin writes a "Kev's Column" for the Herald Express and you can read the latest edition (Published on Wednesday 2nd February 2022) below:
Kev’s Column:
Oldway
It was good to read Oldway Mansion’s number had come up last week as almost £150,000 of National Lottery Heritage Funding was secured.
The successful bid means longer term options can be explored and a Masterplan and Conservation Management strategy for the mansion and estate can be moved forward.
It has been great to see the progress made by the Friends of Oldway and the Oldway Gardens Group but finding a sustainable solution for the mansion itself has been a long-standing challenge. I therefore look forward to seeing the outcomes of this latest project as the longer Oldway Mansion remains unused, the bigger some of the barriers to its revitalisation become. Yet not too far away the Paignton Picture House is already showing what can be achieved when there is community involvement and a practical plan of action which attracts funding to it.
Let’s hope it is not too long before Oldway has the same.
BSL
I was in parliament on Friday to hear the opening speech from Rosie Cooper about her Private Member’s Bill to make British Sign Language (BSL) an officially recognised language.
It was deeply moving as she recounted the struggles of her deaf parents in trying to find work and bring up a family, plus how as a teenager she had to phone the hospital to find out the results of her Mum’s tests for cancer. The level of cross-party support for the bill was so strong its key Second Reading Stage “on the voice” as no MP indicated any opposition to it.
BSL has evolved over hundreds of years into the language it is today. It is great to see this step to formal recognition, along with the support it will bring for users, being taken.
Ukraine
The images of Russian Forces building up on the borders of Ukraine over the last few weeks have brought with them echoes of darker periods in history.
Having previously annexed 2 parts of Georgia, in 2014 Vladimir Putin moved to seize the Crimea, with parts of Eastern Ukraine descending into a civil war which still drags on having claimed thousands of lives. Each time Putin pushes his challenge a bit further and now he is making demands in relation to NATO’s role in Eastern Europe.
We will all hope diplomacy can succeed in securing Ukraine’s borders and future security, but history shows what can happen when such overt threats to another country are met with weakness or indifference. Hence it is right the UK and USA are also giving Ukraine the means to defend itself against any Russian Invasion.
Surgery Times
My next surgeries are on: Friday 4th February 10am till 12pm at 5-7 East St, Torquay, TQ2 5SD and Saturday 12th February 11am till 1pm at Paignton Library and Information Centre, Great Western Rd, TQ4 5AG.
For an appointment you can either email me at [email protected] or leave a message on 01803 214989, surgeries are for personal queries from residents they would like me to help them with, such as housing or welfare, rather than a wider policy debate. There are also drop-in sessions at my office 5-7 East St, Torquay, TQ2 5SD between 10am & 1pm Monday to Friday where a member of my team will be available to help with any queries.
