Alan Duncan dinner
Posted by Alan Collins on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 17:29

Cllr Rehman Chishti, Alan Duncan MP and Alan Collins at the Gillingham and Rainham Conservatives’ dinner

Alan Duncan MP, the Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, was the guest speaker at a Gillingham Conservatives Association dinner last Thursday, May 8.

Mr Duncan, who appeared on Have I Got News For You last week alongside guest panelist Marcus Brigstocke and guest host Brian Blessed, was well received by the audience of around 50 people at the Masonic Hall in Gundolph Square, Rochester.

Mr Duncan started his visit by talking to the local media, and then meeting all the guests. Following the dinner, Mr Duncan made his speech and then answered questions from the assembled guests (including yours truly, who asked “how is your left ear?“).

Mr Duncan’s visit follows visits from Tim Boswell MP, Francis Maude MP and the late Benazir Bhutto, with more prominent Conservatives due to visit in the next few months.

More photographs can be seen on my Flickr account.

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“If you’re feeling energetic”, he says
Posted by Alan Collins on Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 20:45

More leafleting for me today as I set about continuing to deliver the Gillingham and Rainham Reporter around my part of Twydall.

Once I had completed my last batch of roads, Reh asked me to deliver Eastcourt Lane, preferably all of it, “if you’re feeling energetic”.

I have to admit it, I just laughed the comment off, and agreed to deliver the whole of Eastcourt Lane. Well today was the chosen day to deliver, and almost immediately I began to realise why he had made the energetic quip.

Around 200 houses lie in Eastcourt Lane, of which about one third, or just under, are accessible using sets of steps leading up to them. I hadn’t got half way along the first side before I started feeling tired!

Thankfully, I had chosen to deliver the side with steps galore first, meaning it was a lot easier to deliver the rest of the road - and also meant I could finish a lot more quickly before returning home and collapsing in front of a pile of coursework.

Oh, the fun times I am having at the moment…

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In the nick of time
Posted by Alan Collins on Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 16:32

It was back to the campaign trail for me today in the form of leafleting, after far too long.

I had a visit from Reh at about 12:30, when I had just finished my breakfast, as he dropped off three stacks of his Gillingham and Rainham Reporter, with instructions of which roads to deliver.

It was gloriously sunny when I stepped outside earlier. I managed to deliver a few roads around my area in about an hour and a half. However, as I was finishing off the last road, I took one look at the black sky and thought “that’s about to drop on us”. So I went back home.

Five minutes later, the scene was as pictured below. Although the photo is not exactly perfect, you can clearly see stones of hail in the foreground and on the floor, as well has heavy, blurred hail in the background. As soon as I heard (then saw) this, my initial thoughts were “I think I got in in the nick of time!”.

And now it is gloriously sunny again! Don’t you just love the great British weather?

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Meeting Francis Maude (and Mark Field and Stephen Hammond)
Posted by Alan Collins on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 12:05

On Tuesday night (I told you I’d be busy) I, along with a small group of us young Conservatives in Gillingham and Rainham, went along to visit the Houses of Parliament - or, more specifically, have drinks with Francis Maude.

A full press release (with photo) is being prepared, but, suffice to say, it was an interesting evening (yes, evening, we didn’t meet him until about 19:15). And, whilst waiting in the entrance to Portcullis House (that nice modern building opposite the Palace of Westminster), Rehman Chishti (yes he was there) got talking to Charlie Elphicke (our PPC for Dover and Deal).

Just like Reh, Charlie had to wait for someone who works in Portcullis House before he could enter, so he and Reh were talking for a while. Then, who should pop along, but Charlie’s good friend (well, brother-in-law, actually) Mark Field (Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster) - so, after just five minutes of waiting, it was time for the first photo call.

Only, this one was priceless. Instead of standing, smiling at Charlie, who was taking the photo, and watching the hordes of Portcullis House workers pass by, we stood, smiling at Charlie, who was taking the photo, and watching Paul Clark, craning his neck in our general direction, trying to find out what we were up to.

Oh, how we laughed. However, that wasn’t all. For Charlie was, in fact, waiting to meet Stephen Hammond (Conservative MP for Wimbledon and Shadow Minister for Transport), and he managed to initiate yet another photo call.

Then, of course, it was time to meet Francis Maude (Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office) himself. We were given ample time to talk with him, ask him questions and receive a good understanding of his current job, and his past jobs in government and opposition. He was very entertaining, very down to earth and it was a fantastic opportunity to get an insight into the work of an experienced MP.

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Rehman Chishti visits Age Concern, Gillingham
Posted by Alan Collins on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 00:24

Rehman Chishti with Toni Lancaster (to his left), John Amey (to his right) and potential beneficiaries of his efforts. Photo: Gillingham Conservatives

Last year Rehman Chishti ran a half marathon raising money for Gillingham Age Concern.

The Rainham Central Councillor and Gillingham & Rainham Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservative Party ran the Isle of Wight half marathon to help towards fundraising for the purchase of a new podietry chair for use in the Woodlands Road Day Centre (in Twydall Ward).

He raised £300 and today he visited the day centre to meet Toni Lancaster, (Chief Executive), John Amey, (Chairman) and some of the day centre regulars and potential beneficiaries of his efforts.

Age Concern Gillingham has a contract with the Medway PCT for the provision of a basic footcare service for their clients.

Hat tip: Gillingham Conservatives

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