A MESSAGE FROM CLAIRE
I’m delighted to have been selected as the Green Party’s candidate in the upcoming election. I’ve represented local residents on Haslemere Town Council over the past four years. Now I want to continue and broaden my work by becoming a Waverley Borough Councillor.
When elected to Haslemere Town Council in 2019, I knew there was work to be done but few of us could’ve predicted the deeply serious nature of what was to come. When the pandemic struck I collaborated with then-Surrey County Councillor Nikki Barton, the local Volunteer Bureau, the town council and other key community stakeholders to establish HaslemereHelp ten days before lockdown. Swiftly following that was the set up of the Haslemere Community Store, generously hosted by Haslemere Hall, both of which were of so much reassurance and support to residents over the pandemic, thanks to the huge team of HaslemereHelp volunteers who ran both. I also led on the repurposing of a disused Waverley community pavilion, now called Pathways, as a Response Hub supported by Haslemere Town Council. This particularly came into its own when Haslemere began hosting Ukrainian refugees as a first venue for language classes, also working with the Job Centre to help orientate our Ukrainian visitors to search for work, alleviating some of the practical and financial pressures from their hosts.
We’ve all seen the recent and ongoing news about sewage in our waterways. I am now leading on working with the River Wey Trust's Water Rangers to establish a Water Quality Testing hub in Haslemere. Data gathered can indicate where further investigation is required or where improvements can be made, as a proactive evidence-based Citizen Scientist response to local concerns about the quality of our water. Now I want to continue and broaden this work by becoming a Waverley Borough Councillor. If elected, I would:
- Increase support for young people and families
- Help protect and enhance biodiversity in green spaces and rivers
- Support the establishment of a Sustainable Business Network
- Improve access to Active Travel opportunities
Beyond these key things though I want to be as adaptable and responsive as I was during the pandemic and when Haslemere began to welcome Ukrainian refugees, as I strongly feel that this is what being a local councillor is about. But of course I can’t do any of it at council level without your vote. You’ll have up to three votes out of a choice of seven. I’d be very grateful for one of them and it will help me continue my work and give Haslemere a Green voice at Waverley.
CLAIRE HAS BEEN A GREEN COUNCILLOR SINCE 2019
Claire has lived with her family in Haslemere since 2002 and has represented Shottermill ward on Haslemere Town Council since the last local elections in 2019. A former Information and Advice Officer and qualified Early Years Teacher at Tennyson's Sure Start Children's Centre, Claire
is now Project Coordinator for Community Orchard Project South East, a not-for-profit enterprise helping create and ,
enhance community orchards for both human and wildlife.
Claire hopes to work with Waverley to provide more support for young people and families, as well as promote plans for a Sustainable Business Network in Haslemere.
