Date: 24 August 2007

Keeping Our Identity

Despite the atrocious weather, I have spent my summer visiting local events and meetings, meeting as many Moorlands people as possible. Since May, I have been to nearly 40 different events, from the centenary celebrations at St Philip’s Church in Werrington, to the church fete at Alton; from the Biddulph family fun day, to addressing the NFU in Leek.

I have thoroughly enjoyed it all. We had a perfectly timed break in the rain and got the glorious weather and setting for the Rudyard Flower Festival and Fete; the wonderful sermon delivered by the Bishop of Stafford at Werrington; presenting the prize to the best heifer of the show at Leek Show. Being able to enjoy these events is one of the privileges of living in Staffordshire Moorlands.

It’s also been wonderful to have been able to share these events with family and friends who have joined in the fun. Showing off the Moorlands to visitors; feeding them fantastic local meats and cheeses; introducing them to the customs and traditions of this part of the world; is a great treat.

Two weeks ago, at Manifold Show, we had a visitor who had grown up outside the UK, in Hong Kong and then Australia. Having never been to an agricultural show before and with the lack of livestock exhibits due to the foot and mouth outbreak the week before, we were worried that she might not enjoy herself. But she had the most enjoyable time imaginable. She stocked up at the stalls on local produce – honey, biscuits and treacle tart. She ran out of camera memory photographing hens, eggs and tractors. And she even got a little sunburnt.

The one thing that has been the same for all my visitors this summer is how they arrived knowing very little about our unique area, and left promising to visit again and wondering why they had never been before. We have some of the most beautiful – and spectacular – scenery in the country, yet so many people don’t realise we exist. And when they do visit, it might be a fleeting day trip to Alton Towers or they might not even notice they’re in Staffordshire and think they’re still in Derbyshire.

Knowing how much we have to offer, I am so keen that we are aspirational in what we aim for for the area. Leek needs a hotel and more shopping areas, like Getliffe’s Yard, with the kinds of shops that are not only where we, the residents, want to shop but which attract visitors. Biddulph also needs some investment to regenerate a town centre pretty much destroyed by the by-pass.

I will fight to promote this beautiful part of the world – to be a loud and clear voice for Staffordshire Moorlands. We must do all we can to keep our local identity – whether through using Staffordshire Moorlands in our post or in fighting to stop any form of merger that would see Moorlands subsumed into one big City Region for the whole of North Staffordshire.