Greens’ election momentum growing
The 7 May elections look very promising for the Greens. Our membership has rocketed both locally and nationally in the past year – SRGP membership rose 30% last week alone. And our support has risen massively too – two recent national opinion polls had us at around 10%, far higher than a year ago. We’re also getting a lot more media coverage, eg a big article in a recent edition of The Guardian. So we’ve decided to stand MP candidates in 2 more Sheffield parliamentary constituencies, ie 5 altogether – see below.
Sheffield Central constituency
Sheffield Central is one of the national Green Party’s key constituencies in the May parliamentary election. Jillian Creasy is a great MP candidate, and is getting increasing media attention, eg on the 9 January Radio 4 Any Questions? programme http://archive.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/2015/01/12/if-you-missed-jillian-creasy-on-any-questions-listen-now-on-i-player/
The national Party has provided extra funding so that experienced campaigners Andrew Cooper and Pete Kennedy are now employed to help co-ordinate and support Jillian’s campaign. You may meet them in the next few months.
Fancy some fresh air and exercise? You’ll certainly get that during our “Action Days” in Sheffield Central – delivering newspapers or door-knocking – see details below.
Delivering newspapers in Sheffield Central constituency
Thanks very much to everyone who helped deliver the 1st edition of Jillian’s campaign newspaper before Xmas. Between us, we delivered 45,000 newspapers – one to every address in the constituency.
It would be great if even more of you could help to deliver the 2nd edition. Would you like to help? Meet us by 11am on the days shown below, to do some deliveries up to 1pm. Then, if you want to, come to a local pub, café or member’s house afterwards. Please bring a medium-sized back pack or shoulder bag to carry the newspapers.
Manor Castle ward Saturday 31st January (Day contact Graham Wroe 07752 473190) Meet at Rhubarb Shed Cafe, 389 Manor Lane, S2 1UL (Making ordinary café food extraordinary with a delicious blend of urban deli and traditional farmhouse food!) from 10.30am, to deliver around Manor Park and Wybourn from 11am-1pm. Free parking available. Afterwards meet up at the nearby Manor Castle pub for pizzas & other refreshments and/or explore the site with spectacular views across Sheffield. If the weather is bad, we’ll instead head for Hyde Park flats where we can deliver inside!
Possible bus routes
56 Get off by Premier Stores, Southend Rd, Wybourn and walk up Southend Rd. Turn left on Manor Lane walk past the Castle and take the path to the left by the artist studios.
10 Get off on Manor Lane.
120, 44, 42, 30 Get off on City Rd by St Aidan’s Church (this is before the Cemetery). Walk up Manor Lane past the Castle and take the path to the left by the artist studios.
Walkley ward Saturday 7th February (Day contact Eamonn Ward 0750 3883740)
Meet outside Zest, 54-56 Upperthorpe Rd, S6 3EB between 10.45 and 11am or in café area inside if damp. Zest is 3 minutes walk from the Infirmary Rd tram stop. Free on street parking quite close by. Followed by Bernard and Anne’s delicious soup and scones at around 1pm.
Manor Castle ward Saturday 21st February (Day contact Graham Wroe 07752 473190) Meet at Brian Holmshaw’s house at 26 Norfolk Rd, S2 2SX, from 10.30am to deliver in various areas of Manor Castle ward from 11-1pm. Return to Brian’s for soup and bread plus hot drinks. Brian’s house is easily reached from the city centre – go through the rail station and climb the (rather steep) “steel steps” past the amphitheatre. Norfolk Rd is straight ahead when you get to the top. Free street parking is available nearby. The 120 bus stops very close by at top of Shrewsbury Rd/Talbot St.
If you’d like to help delivering newspapers in Central, Broomhill, Nether Edge, Manor Castle or Walkley wards, please contact Eamonn Ward (2311548 or 0750 3883740). Doing a regular round close to or within easy reach of where you live, really helps us by freeing up time for councillors and activists. That’s vital as we go into the key last 3 months of this campaign.
Talking with voters (aka Door-knocking)
Talking with people is the best way to persuade them to vote Green. Two dozen of us took part in one of our recent door-knocking sessions. Would you like to join us on one of the dates below? If so, contact Gill Black gillpblack@aol.com. If you haven’t canvassed before, you can partner up with an experienced canvasser initially. Forthcoming canvassing sessions in Sheffield Central ward (all starting at 2pm and finishing by 4pm): Saturday 24th January, Saturday 31st January, Sunday 8th February, and Sunday 15th February.
Standing MP candidates in 2 more constituencies
We agreed more than a year ago to stand candidates in 3 local constituencies in the 7 May parliamentary election – Sheffield Central, Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield Heeley. In the light of the massive growth in Green Party membership and support, we now want to stand candidates in 2 more constituencies – Sheffield South East and Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough. We’ll invite all SRGP national members to consider nominating themselves to be a candidate for one or both of these 2 constituencies. Please look out for an e-mail titled “Green Party invitation for general election candidates” in the next 2 or 3 days.
7 May council elections
Candidates
We still need candidates to stand in the following wards in the Sheffield Council elections – Beighton, Crookes, Darnall, Dore & Totley, Ecclesall, Fulwood, Mosborough, West Ecclesfield, and Woodhouse – ideally people who live in those wards. We also need more candidates in Rotherham to stand in their home wards.
The Green surge means we’re well placed to elect councillors in the 2015 & 2016 council elections – possibly a dozen or more in the 2016 Sheffield “all out” elections.
If you might like to be a candidate in 2015 or 2016, whether or not you want to become a councillor, please contact Eamonn Ward (2311548 or 0750 3883740) soon, to discuss what’s involved. Note that the annual councillor allowance is about £12,000.
Delivering flyers in Wath (Rotherham)
A strong organising group is building the election campaign for well-known community activist Ann Roche in Wath council ward. UKIP threaten to take the ward; but Ann will offer a positive alternative after a very difficult 2014 for Rotherham.
It would great if Rotherham members and supporters could help get 6,500 flyers out by early-March. For example, on these 3 group delivery days: Sunday 8th February 2pm; Saturday 21st February 11am; and Sunday 1st March 2pm. Meet at Ann’s house (76 Chapel Street, Wath upon Dearne, S63 7RQ) by the times shown. Please bring a small back pack or shoulder bag to carry leaflets. There will be light refreshments available at Ann’s house before and afterwards.
If you’re coming by car, it’s best to park at the bottom of Park Road, and walk back round onto Chapel Street.
Buses from Rotherham Interchange (25 minute journey)
22X – Every 15 mins at 5, 20, 35 & 50 mins past on Saturdays; every hour at 30 mins past on Sundays.
228 – Half hourly at 27 and 57 mins past on Saturdays; every hour at 15 mins past on Sundays.
Buses from Barnsley Interchange – 226, 222 and 22X are frequent services via Wombwell.
Get off in the centre of Wath by the Library, then looking towards Church House (Wetherspoons Pub), go right. Walk straight up the road where the buses go and turn left opposite Montgomery Hall, up Chapel Street – no 76 is on the right just past Park Road. Look for a white picket fence! About a 5 minute walk.
We’re also planning to have a stall at Wath Market on some Wednesday mornings from February onwards. If you’re interested in helping with this or want to offer any help to our election campaign in Rotherham, please contact Ann annroche1955@hotmail.co.uk or 07891 220192.
Raising funds for our election campaign
Unlike the other parties, we’re not funded by big financial backers – we depend on our members and supporters, ie people like you. Please help us raise the funds to keep the Green surge going across Sheffield & Rotherham in May. To make it easy, we’ve set up a crowd-funding site where you can donate to Jillian Creasy’s campaign. You can find full details of how to donate here. Donations can start from just £5 – any donation, no matter how big or small, will be very gratefully received and put to good use. Please help spread the word. As well as donating, please pass on the link to your friends and family, and use it on Facebook and Twitter.
And, finally
Make sure you’re able to vote!
To vote in May, you need to be registered in advance to vote. If you’re not registered already, or you’re unsure whether you are, you can register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote . And please encourage your friends, family and contacts to make sure they’re registered.