Campaign Diary: Day 30 - a result is declared...

And so, the people of Barking and Somersham have spoken. Well, about one-third of them did - turnout was, as I predicted, 34% - and the result was as follows;

Anne Marie Killett (Green) - 212 votes

Jemma Lynch (Conservative) - 210 votes

Mark Valladares (Liberal Democrat) - 154 votes

Will Marsburg (Labour) - 38 votes

Green gain from Conservative.

The circumstances surrounding the by-election were certainly unusual. The sitting Conservative Councillor resigned, stating that;

In my election address I said I would use my “single voice to unite my like minded colleagues to continue to put local people first”. As some of you know I have some significant differences of opinion with the strategies and the way Mid Suffolk District Council conduct their affairs.

I have concluded that in the foreseeable future my time and talents will not succeed in altering the strategies, approach and culture of this organisation.

Life is too short to waste.

He sent that message widely across the ward, and it can't have helped the Conservatives. In addition, Suffolk Together, a local anti-planning group, who had held the seat from 2007 to 2015, ceased to exist, and UKIP, who had come third last time, didn't field a candidate. The Greens and Labour, who hadn't run in the past, put up candidates this time.

So, an electorate where half of the voters from 2015 had lost their then preferred choice, with public focus on Europe rather more than a District Council by-election.

We ran a decent, honest campaign. Two leaflets, letters to postal voters, doorstep and telephone canvassing, plus a polling day knock-up, was a great effort given the absence of any preparation time. And we did more than double our percentage share from last year and, indeed, 2011. So, all in all, we can be pleased that our efforts were recognised.

I wish Anne well for the next three years, and hope that the people of Barking and Somersham have the representation that they deserve at Mid Suffolk District Council.

As for me, I was co-opted back onto Creeting St Peter Parish Council on 16 May, and look forward to serving my fellow villagers in the future. I have some time to lift my thoughts to the horizon now and, whilst I do have some projects to fulfil, I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with Ros over the summer.

Campaign Diary: Day 29 - the day of truth as Barking and Somersham votes

Polling day dawned, cold and dull - the sort of day when it is oh so tempting to jab the alarm into silence and pull up the duvet. But, for a by-election candidate, it is the culmination of all that hard work. Time to get out and meet the public!

And there is another job, to visit the polling stations and thank the presiding officer and his/her assistant. They're at their station for fifteen hours without a break, making sure that the democratic process functions. I like to look in on them and introduce myself, see how they're getting on, and gather some turnout data. Generally, they're friendly and, as long as you don't campaign in the polling station proper - a definite no-no - they'll make you welcome.

Today, turnout was never going to be massive and the polling stations overwhelmed. Even if everyone turned out, there would only be 110 voters per hour, spread between four polling stations. If the turnout ends up being at or around the 33% mark - and allowing for postal ballots - there will be about 24 voters per hour, or six per polling station on average.

But my colleagues were still willing to put in one last, final effort, the knock-up. And so we did.

Polls have closed, the voters have spoken, and all that remains is the count. And that will take place tomorrow morning.

A restless sleep is in prospect...

Campaign Diary: Day 28 - it's now or never...

The final day before polling day, and the penultimate stage of the campaign, letters to those who have indicated that they will be voting Liberal Democrat, encouraging them to come out on polling day, and squeeze letters to declared Green and Labour supporters, gently encouraging them to vote for me lest the Conservative win on a split opposition vote.

Technology allows us to whittle away the postal voters, most of whom will have voted already, leaving us a group to be delivered to. The team have, once again, rallied round, making short work of the task and all we can do now is wait until polling day and, to a great extent, see what happens. As for me, I was out and about in Barking, despite the cold, highly unseasonal weather for early June.

Meanwhile, news of the first round of postal ballot validation. Naturally, I can't give numbers, but the aim of the exercise is to ensure that the postal ballots are correctly returned. The main envelope is opened, and the signature and date of birth details are matched against the Council's database. If the form with the signature is missing, the ballot paper is invalid - you can't tell who actually filled it in.

We don't get to see the actual ballot papers so, in that sense, it isn't very exciting. You do get to find out what the postal ballot turnout is, which might be a pointer towards turnout on polling day proper.

I'm beginning to get slightly nervous...

Campaign Diary: Day 27 - into the final forty-eight hours...

As I've already noted, very few candidates can stand alone. You could produce the campaigning material, deliver the leaflets and do the canvassing on your own, but unless you have nothing else to do, such as a job, or caring responsibilities, or any of the myriad other things that have a call upon our time, it is well nigh impossible, especially in a four week campaign such as this one has been.

Of course, as the candidate, your enthusiasm can be infectious, and if you work hard enough, other people are more likely to invest their time and effort to support you. I'm lucky enough to have friends and colleagues who believe in me, and who have stepped in to share the task of reaching out to as many people as we can, and it is difficult to describe just how grateful I am to them.

The key players have been Ros, my campaign manager (and wife), Martin (my agent) and Wendy Marchant, who has combined the roles of volunteer co-ordination, deliverer and canvasser, whilst serving the people of Needham Market as their District Councillor.

But there are others who have helped to make this possible. Julia Truelove, our County Councillor for Bosmere (which includes Barking and Somersham ward), who has briefed me on key issues and been a friendly face at various Parish Council meetings, John Field, who was my guide to Baylham, has printed target letters and managed Connect, Stephen Andrews, our enthusiastic Local Party Chair, who has thrown himself into the campaign, plus our local deliverers, who have gotten the message out.

It looks as though we will have improved our share of the vote, at least, that's how it feels on the doorstep. My sense is that we can push the Conservatives close, although how close I wouldn't like to say.

And whilst the Greens have run an enthusiastic, if occasionally cynical, campaign, people aren't telling me that they're going to vote Green in huge numbers.

There is still a Labour vote, and those who have said that they will vote Labour seem pretty determined to do so, despite the fact that their candidate is unlikely to win - there's no evidence that theirs is anything other than a paperless campaign as I write.

Campaign Diary: Day 26 - Bethany to the rescue!

I had run out of leaflets in Somersham on Saturday, leaving me with a small number of houses still undelivered in the core village, plus a few outliers. The plan had been that Ros and I would deliver them on Monday, but ill health meant that Ros wasn't able to drive.

Luckily, my step-son Jamie, and his fiancee, Bethany, were in town, and Bethany offered to drive me over to Somersham to get the job finished. The twelve remaining houses in Somersham proper were dealt with easily enough, leaving Blood Hill to be located and leafleted.

I would be intrigued to know why it is called Blood Hill. Perhaps a pirate got confused and failed to stop at the shoreline but, in reality, it's a single track road that weaves its way from Flowton Road back to Ipswich Road in Offton. There are four or five houses dotted along its length, and stretches that are totally enveloped by trees - very pretty on a sunny day. It was just a pity that the sun, so abundant on Saturday, was utterly absent on a cold, grey Bank Holiday Monday.

Job done, we headed back for a family dinner...

Campaign Diary: Day 25 - drawing breath before the big finale

Astonishingly, and thanks to a huge effort by the team, we'd got virtually every leaflet out, and with our policy of not canvassing on a Sunday, that left me the day to catch up with a whole bunch of other things, as well as get some quality home time. Besides, Ros was due home from Cairo, where she had been contributing to a seminar on gender mainstreaming.

Laundry, for example, doesn't get done on its own, and nor does shopping, and in any event, both of us were due in Vilnius by the end of the week, and so I spent the day working around the house, mowing the lawn, collecting my newspaper (it's 6,000 steps to the newsagent and back).

And besides, we still had the last lap of the race to run...

Campaign Diary: Day 24 - a well-timed walk around Somersham

The final leaflet was ready, and everyone was set to go. My job was to deliver Somersham, and my preparations were thorough. A Suffolk Links service was arranged for me to deliver me to Somersham and collect me afterwards, I had the leaflets, all that was needed was for me to stick to time. Luckily, it was a beautiful day, and I set off in high-spirits, a small rucksack on my back loaded with leaflets, and a plan.

Somersham is not so big that it can't be delivered by one persistent individual, and because of its layout, you can actually deliver it without ever doubling back upon yourself. And so, starting at Springfield Road, which has about 8% of all the doors in the ward, I set off, talking to residents as I passed by. It was all very pleasant, and people were quite happy to talk, even if I couldn't persuade them to vote for me, and a pleasing number of them were willing to offer me their support.

The view from the end of Chapel Lane,
Somersham. This is not urban
campaigning...

Along Brook Way, past Cherry Tree Cottages and Mill Lane, as far as the Duke of Marlborough I went, sticking leaflets through letterboxes, on to the Baptist Church in Chapel Lane, then Watering Close and Hall Lane, turning back towards the centre of the village.

It was getting increasingly warm, and I was beginning to regret not bringing a hat, but I was still surprisingly fresh. Past the Community Shop, into, and out of Prince's Gardens, on towards the garage, before crossing the road, heading up Church Lane to Black Barn Close and the final stretch up Flowton Road to Park Cottages.

Despite frequent stops to chat, I was making excellent time and finally made it back to the Community Shop, leaflets delivered, with about fifteen minutes to spare. My ride was early, and I was on my way, footsore but happy to have gotten the job done...

Campaign Diary: Day 23 - a flurry of activity in preparation for a big weekend

"The leaflet is ready, the leaflet is ready!" And so a process is set underway.

Our leaflet 'warehouser' is Cllr Wendy Marchant. On receipt of the printed leaflets, she divides them up into bundles for our deliverers and then arranges for those bundles to be taken to wherever the deliverers are.

It is a very efficient process - Wendy has been doing this for a long time and has it down to a fine art. She even recruits the deliverers who, out of kindness and a willingness to help, make sure that the leaflets that are so lovingly crafted actually reach potential voters.

It makes my job as candidate that bit easier, as it frees up my time to do the one hundred and one things that are my responsibility.

Meanwhile, the gaps in our delivery network are being filled by more volunteers, all of whom are busy people in their own right, and who know that there may be more to come. And I'll deliver my share as well - it gives me a chance to meet more voters and there will be time to stop and chat...

Campaign Diary: Day 22 - from Marshmoor Park to Kennels Farm, via Blood Hill...

Barking and Somersham is, in geographic terms, quite a big place. The seven villages are pretty distinct, with chunks of arable farmland dividing them. And, over the short period of the by-election campaign, I've already developed a pretty good sense of where things are.

That's helped by the fact that there aren't too many roads. There are, however, lots of outliers, i.e. houses beyond the prime settlement limits of each village. They tend not to get too much attention between elections, as the effort/reward ratio is seen as too great, i.e. you spend a lot of time getting to them, whereas in the heart of a village like Somersham, you can knock on a lot of doors covering less distance to do so.

And yet, as Ros has always noted, the very fact that you've made the effort to knock on their door earns you, at the very least, a little respect. They don't expect people to knock on their door, or deliver a leaflet, exactly because they're a bit remote.

If you have telephone numbers, you can of course call them, and when time is short, and you value volume over quality time, it is the safest option. But, if time wasn't an object, I'd prefer to talk to people face to face. It suits my personality and, given that I find people interesting in themselves, gives me a chance to find out more about them.

It is, if you like, something to consider if I am fortunate enough to be elected on 2 June...

Campaign Diary: Day 21 - in which life intervenes in the campaign

I'm a busy person, so I tend to plan things in advance where I can, part of Ros's influence on me, especially when travel is concerned. And, having to go to London for a meeting seemed like an excellent opportunity to renew my passport too. When I had made the arrangements, the prospect of a by-election was not on the horizon.

And so, I had booked an appointment at the Passport Agency in London using its online facility, and was resigned to writing off the day. It was, at least, an opportunity to draw breath before the final run-in to polling day, now just eight days away. Besides, everything seemed to be in hand.

My journey to London was uneventful, and I reached the Passport Agency office behind Victoria Station in good time for my appointment. I had some surprisingly good passport photographs (I'm not keen on being at that end of a lens), and the correct pen to fill in the form - black ballpoint. I used the time to fill in the form before heading inside to wait in a long queue for security.

It wasn't so bad. I made conversation with the man in the queue next to me, and before very long, I was safely screened and in a seat waiting for my turn. Whilst the waiting area is a bit institutional, you aren't there very long, and I was soon called to a desk where I handed over the form, the photographs and my old passport.

It was all very efficient and, five minutes later, I had a receipt to be retained, and instructions to return in just over four hours to collect my new passport. Time for lunch...

I had arranged with Ros to meet her at a place called "The Loose Box" on Horseferry Road, a gentle quarter of an hour walk away, so I set off across Vauxhall Bridge Road, along one side of Vincent Square and past the Westminster Cathedral Choir School building. I forget what an oasis Vincent Square is, with cricket played in the middle during the summer.

Lunch was pretty good - I had the pork belly with mustard mash. Not great for the diet, but I reckon that it can stand the odd day off, especially given the number of steps I'm covering each day.

I walked Ros back to Parliament and set off back towards Victoria for my assigned collection slot, stopping on the way to do a little shopping (I need trousers as my waistline is shrinking), picked up the new passport and set off back to Liverpool Street for my train home.

A week to go and much to do still...

Campaign Diary: Day 20 - it's the final leaflet

The campaign schedule called for the final leaflet to be with the deliverers no later than the Friday before polling day, which meant that it had to be with the printer on Wednesday morning. Accordingly, the leaflet, with photographs of candidate and some very kind endorsements, had to be agreed and proof-read the evening before.

Martin had laid out the leaflet, and my job was to review it, make any necessary changes and approve a final version. Luckily, Martin is pretty good at this, and it didn't require very much work before I could give it the all clear.

And so, here it is...

Campaign Diary; Day 19 - the case of the disappearing poster board

Monday evening, and time for Martin, my agent, and I to get some photos taken for the final leaflet. Some typical pictures of the candidate at well-known landmarks in the villages, including one that we didn't use in the end, of me pointing at a big hole in the road (for those who don't know these things, there is a standing joke amongst Liberal Democrats that a leaflet isn't properly Liberal Democrat without a picture of the candidate pointing at something).

A poster board. Not one of mine,
but very nice all the same...

We were in Barking, taking a picture of me next to the new council housing being built, when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a Green Party poster board that had been there was being taken down.

Curious, I wandered over to the man who was doing it. Apparently, he had been canvassed by a Green Party activist, but hadn't intended to grant them permission to put the sign up. He assumed that they had been confused. It does happen, especially when you're enthusiastic and you want to be liked.

It goes to show how important it is to get people's permission before you put your sign up. Posters should be given to people to put in their windows if they want to, especially as people are often wary of showing their political allegiances too visibly. The same goes for poster boards.

It also takes quite a lot of effort to find sites for poster boards, and to put them up, and is better as part of your planning in advance of a campaign, rather than having to do is during the final four weeks. To be honest, we focused on meeting people and delivering leaflets.

Only time will tell if we were right...

Campaign Diary: Day 18 - when things go wrong (fortunately, not just for me)

I've already noted that, in the heat of a campaign, when everyone is trying to do a whole bunch of things at once, there is room for error. Using an out leaflet which, whilst it has a nice picture of you on it, doesn't actually say who you are, is the sort of thing that can go wrong, which is why proof-reading is so important.

It was that moment when one of my work colleagues noted the typo in our leaflet when your heart sinks slightly, and you wonder who else noticed. Apparently, if they did, they've been kind enough not to say anything.

There but for the grace of God...
take a close look at the contact details...

My Conservative opponent, however, has not been quite so fortunate...

My guess is that the leaflet is a recycled one, in that it is based on one used previously with some personalized content dropped in. I also don't know how much campaign experience Jemma has, or how actively engaged in the leaflet design she is. In that sense, I'm lucky. As a Liberal Democrat, I don't have access to paid staff to help run my campaign, and I've had to learn all sorts of new things in order to make sure that things happen - leaflet design, database management, for example - and whilst I have help, it is best to be as self-sufficient as possible in the medium and long term.

Let's just say though that my proof-reading has become a bit more rigorous as polling day approaches...

Campaign Diary: Day 17 - a hard-working candidate and a stoat on a mission

Saturday morning found me in Barking, looking to meet more voters, when I knocked on a door. The door opened and I was told that they had received their postal ballot. This was not necessarily a welcome surprise, because the plan was to deliver letters to all postal voters the next day - we had been told by Mid Suffolk District Council's Electoral Services team that they would be going out the next day.

It would be fair to say that this candidate wasn't impressed.

There was nothing to be done but to accelerate the schedule somewhat, so I arranged for my allocation of letters to be brought to me by the ever patient Ros.

A hard working, local stoat...

As I headed to the agreed rendezvous, I noticed a movement on the footpath ahead of me. A closer examination indicated a weasel-like creature, carrying a baby rabbit in its mouth. It was a stoat, and the baby rabbit was somewhat bigger than it was. As I caught up with it, it headed into the undergrowth and, not wanting to disturb it, I kept walking, until I reached the entrance to the care home at Barking Hall.

A few moments later, the stoat appeared again, still with its prey in its mouth, crossed the B1078, and ran along the curb until it darted back across the road and into the long grass.

It wasn't long before the stoat, minus baby rabbit, darted back out and up the street. It was my first stoat, and I was surprised by how small they actually are, much smaller than a ferret, for example.

But I now had envelopes to deliver, and it was clear that I wasn't going to have any trouble hitting my 12,500 step target for the day...

Campaign Diary: Day 16 - a day of consort duty in North Walsham

I may be the candidate in a by-election, but I still have other commitments, and one of those is to accompany Ros to events. A Friday in North Walsham might not be everybody's idea of a 'day off', but I enjoy travelling with Ros when she does school visits as part if the Lord Speaker's "Peers in Schools" program.

And so, we set off mid-morning for the lengthy drive up the A140, across the A47 southern by-pass and across country past the eastern fringes of Norwich before joining the road to North Walsham, where Ros was scheduled to speak to the Year 8 students as part of their series of inspirational speakers.

Having had a healthy lunch, we arrived in good time and were introduced to the headmaster. We also had the company of Andy Newman, who does PR for a group of local schools, and was also covering the story for the local press. And, as we were having tea (and I was avoiding the flapjacks), it dawned on me that this might be an old university colleague. So, I turned to him.

"Were you at UEA in the mid-eighties?". "Yes.", he replied. "In EUR?" "Yes". And then I asked some fairly personal questions, to his increasing bemusement, before introducing myself properly. Andy and I were, indeed, at UEA together, and I had visited him whilst he was on a year abroad, teaching in a lycee in Cambrai. It was one of those coincidences that seems to happen more often than is credible.

Ros gave her presentation, before opening the floor to questions, her favourite part of the session. But don't believe me when I say how good she is at this, read the report for yourself...

All too soon, it was over, and we had to get back to Suffolk - there were postal voter letters to fold and stuff into envelopes. I'm pretty good at folding things, I have a good eye for size, and I'm content to carry out routine, repetitive tasks. I'm even quite quick (it's all those years as a civil servant that develop such a skill set). And, between the two of us, it didn't take too long to have them all ready for delivery.

A key weekend for the campaign lay ahead...

Campaign Diary: Day 15 - I get by with a lot of help from my friends...

Canvassing can be a bit grim sometimes, especially if you appear to be knocking on a lot of doors without actually meeting too many people. It is, if you like, one of the curses of modern life. We commute further than we used to. Couples both have jobs, and commitments. Their friends and families are further afield than once they might have been. And it isn't just a problem for urban campaigners, it impacts on those of us in villages too.

However, if you're lucky enough to have a group of people who are willing to come out with you, a lot more ground can be covered, and a lot more voter data gathered. And, Mid Suffolk Liberal Democrats, especially members in Bosmere, have been very supportive, as always.

It has also provided an opportunity for some of our newer members to gain some campaign experience, as it can only be easier if you start by working with a more experienced fellow Liberal Democrat.

And so, a group of us met up at Needham Market and headed off into Barking and Somersham. On arrival, we split up into three groups and hit the doorsteps. And yes, there were a lot of people who weren't in, but we met enough people and heard their issues. Speeding, planning issues, people are only to happy to talk about them if you give them the opportunity to do so.

My day ended at Barking Village Hall, where I was attending the Parish Council AGM. Unlike in Baylham, there wasn't a huge crowd, but there was a group of committed Parish Councillors, working hard to serve their community, and our County Councillor, Julia Truelove, who continues to demonstrate her commitment to the myriad Parishes that she represents.

So far, I've been the only one of the four candidates to attend any of the three Parish Council events thus far - Baylham, Offton and Willisham, and Barking (I've made all three). It wasn't because I was invited, it was because I took the trouble to find out when they were taking place, and made time to get to them.

If I am lucky enough to win on 2 June, they'll be seeing a lot more of me...

Campaign Diary: Day 14 - a blow for local residents

I use the Suffolk Links demand responsive transport system a lot, as it takes me from home to the station most days, and back again in the evening. And, as of 13 June, a new contract for the service comes into effect, run on a District Council basis, so it affects Barking and Somersham ward.

Passengers have been handed a letter, explaining how the new contract will work. And the news isn't good for users of the service, of whom there are a number, mostly elderly, across the ward. The new service will be using smaller vehicles, and one of the side effects of that is that the concessionary bus pass will no longer be accepted. This will mean that the elderly, some of the most vulnerable to becoming isolated, will have to find the cost of the fare, currently £3.20 for a one-way journey from Somersham to Stowmarket.

For regular passengers in the area covering by the old Gipping North service, discounted return fares have been axed, and single fares increased by as much as 25%.

It is a blow, although from a personal perspective, I can afford it. However, whilst Willisham and Somersham, and the southern end of Barking have some regular bus service, courtesy of route 111, villages such as Offton aren't so lucky, and the demand responsive transport service enables elderly villagers to travel to Stowmarket, meet up with their friends on the bus or whilst shopping, and avoid being trapped.

The service was also originally sold as a replacement for regular bus services that have been withdrawn in recent years, being rather better value than running often quite empty regular buses along fixed routes.

The mantra from the Conservatives who run the County Council is "a better service at lower cost". What they clearly meant was that the lower cost was to the County Council, and not the council tax payers of rural Suffolk, for all that is happening is a transfer of the cost from the County Council to local residents. And, as council tax bills are hardly likely to be reduced for the service's users, it's not as though they are being given a choice as to how their money is being spent.

I am not impressed...

Campaign Diary: Day 13 - the importance of postal voters

Most Liberal Democrats, indeed, most political activists, understand the importance of postal voters. First of all, they generally vote - one survey I've seen indicates that turnout rates, even in local elections, is about 75%. After all, if a ballot paper comes to your door, why not fill it in? Second, in a short campaign, you haven't got much time to reach them, as they're likely to fill it in fairly quickly - the return rate falls off as time passes from the date of receipt.

My canvassing had, thus far, been targeted towards the postal voters. We're told where they live and who they are - it's marked on the electoral register - and knowing that they will be disproportionately more likely to vote, meeting them is a must if at all possible.

We knew that the postal votes would be issued on 22 May (a Sunday, curiously, but that's what Mid Suffolk District Council had advised), and it was decided that we would write to each of them. My job was to draft a letter which might persuade them to vote for me, a task made more difficult by the fact that such voters are only likely to get one leaflet.

I've taken the view that making a bunch of promises on issues is a hostage to fortune, especially because, as a District Councillor, you don't necessarily have the means to do big things. It's as much about acting as a champion for local people, finding ways to help them help themselves, as about ideology. On the other hand, how you do things is important, and as a liberal, I tend to think that an informed electorate is a good thing and makes for stronger communities.

So, I'm making some simple promises. If the voters of Barking and Somersham choose to elect me on 2 June, I will;

• work hard
• be available by e-mail, phone and in person
• keep in touch through regular newsletters
• attend Parish Council meetings and other local events
• carry out village surveys

It isn't rocket science. It will involve effort on my part, but if you want to represent people, you have to do it properly...

Campaign Diary: Day 12 - finding out how volunteers in Offton and Somersham save lives

A Monday evening, and Ros and I were on our way to Offton, the second largest of the seven villages in Barking and Somersham by voting population - there are two more voters on the register here than in Barking. The trip had two purposes, firstly to do some canvassing and for me to meet more voters, second for me to attend the Offton and Willisham Annual Parish Meeting at Offton's relatively new Village Hall.

The sun was streaming down on what had turned out to be a rather nice evening, and we headed for the area near the Village Hall to knock on some doors. Our first leaflet had clearly hit doormats on schedule, and those that we got to speak to were happy enough to talk to us. And that, perhaps is the first hurdle to get across when you're canvassing. If people are hostile, it can be a bit dispiriting, but if people are willing to give you a hearing, then you can have a conversation, something I enjoy.

I left Ros to carry on, whilst I headed for the Village Hall, where I ran into Mark, who was standing by the new play equipment, not yet open for use (the newly seeded grass is still establishing itself). Mark is the Community First Responder for Offton, a volunteer who is trained to attend emergency calls received by the ambulance service and provide care until the ambulance arrives. In rural areas particularly, where an ambulance might be some way away, having someone nearby who can arrive quicker, can be the difference between life and death.

Having exchanged a few words with Mark, I went into the hall itself to meet with the Parish Councillors and representatives of key community groups (church, village hall committee and the like) and introduce myself. They might not have been expecting me, but they made me very welcome - the cup of tea was particularly appreciated.

I sat through the meeting, listening to the reports, including that of the County Councillor, Julia Truelove. Julia was elected in Ros's place when she stood down in 2005, and has carried on serving the communities across Bosmere ever since, and has offered helpful advice in terms of campaigning ideas.

At the end of the meeting, I was asked if I would like to say a few words. As I hadn't prepared anything - I hadn't intended to gatecrash their event, and was the only one of the four candidates in attendance - I simply introduced myself, explained what I would hope to do if elected, and asked if anyone had any questions. There weren't any, although, if I do get elected, I thoroughly expect that to change!

All in all, a very pleasant and informative evening, but time doesn't stand still, and I had to get home for more campaign preparation. All I could hope was that I'd made a good impression...

Campaign Diary: Day 11 - an unexpected gathering in Somersham

I'm not a big fan of canvassing on a Sunday. It's not because I'm religious, but I do think that Sundays are not necessarily a great time to knock on doors in interrupt what is still seen as a day of rest in some quarters.

That said, leaflet delivery is reasonable, and a gap in our delivery network needed to be filled. And so, Ros, Ben (our Local Party Youth Representative and a former member of the UK Youth Parliament) and I headed to Somersham to do some light delivering - I need the steps anyway, and I might as well do something useful whilst getting them.

The main core of Somersham is pretty compact, and I was making good time when my mobile rang. Ben had run into a group of people outside Somersham Baptist Church, and someone wanted to talk to me. So, I headed over, only to discover that the Baptist Church was holding an after-service barbecue for its members.

Sadly, my diet prevented me from having a burger, although there was a very thoughtfully supplied cup of tea, and I was able to talk to a number of those present and answer their questions on such issues as speeding and local representation. Mark Newcombe, the Pastor, is a Leicester City fan, and I told him how nice it was to see a team from beyond the usual suspects winning the big prize for a change. Perhaps it will be a metaphor for this by-election?

But there were still leaflets to deliver, and they couldn't wait, so, having said our farewells, we hit the streets of Somersham to finish our work for the day. Meanwhile, across Barking and Somersham, our volunteer delivery team were also out and about, spreading the word...