As so many jobs and thriving businesses in Mid Sussex are tucked away, I was pleased to host my first rural Business Breakfast last Friday in the wonderful setting of the Bluebell Vineyard, with a tiny tasting afterwards coupled with cheese tastings from the High Weald Dairy. Past breakfast themes covered bouncing back from Covid impact to inclusive employment, so it was great to have a rural slant with speakers talking about both the countryside opportunities and the challenges. We’ve a proactive Rural Crime Police team, which was set up via a focus from Katy Bourne, our Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner. It was good to hear how they’re combatting local crime with the additional measures they’ve introduced. This was a positive networking opportunity sponsored by Covers and NFU Mutual, for many rural businesses from farmers, food producers, wedding venues, pubs and retail including JoJo’s in Cuckfield to meet and share insights.
Lives can be turned upside down to unexpected illness and accidents. Headway Sussex is a fantastic local charity who support people and their families living with brain injury. My family was supported by Headway, after my dad suffered a brain injury at work, many years ago. It was a pleasure to meet the different support teams and chat to people receiving support.
Managing immigration is very challenging on both economic and humanitarian perspectives. Legislatively, we passed the new Illegal Immigration Act. A new firm and fair approach, so if someone enters the UK illegally, they’ll be detained immediately and removed to a safe country within weeks –with no ability to make spurious or late claims to frustrate removal. So, we can make sure we can continue to focus our resources on humanitarian interventions and be able to fully react in times of international need.
It's been heart-breaking to see the devastation from the Greek Islands wildfires. For tourists and locals. If you’re planning to travel to any areas affected by wildfires, please check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel that the area you plan to visit. For 24/7 British consular assistance, call +44 20 7008 5000.