Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2014 | Page 136

ANDREW TURNER MP coffee break reading... Andrew Turner MP The Riverside Centre, The Town Quay, Newport, IW - Tel: [phone] [email protected] www.islandmp.org Andrew Turner MP Plenty of ways to keep in touch with me A ll MPs need to keep in touch with the people they represent, so I am lucky that one of the aspects I like about my job is talking to local people and finding out their views on current issues. I also enjoy helping sort out problems; and since my election in 2001 I have held a Friday afternoon surgery where Islanders can make an appointment to come along and discuss any issues I may be able to help them with. On Saturday mornings during the winter months I get out and about visiting Island towns and villages. I knock on doors talking to people in their own homes and making myself available afterwards in a local pub. This gives people, who may feel their problem doesn’t justify a trip to Newport or perhaps cannot easily make the journey, the opportunity to raise things affecting them directly with me. During summer weekends I meet people at the various events which take place around the Island, such as the 136 www.visitilife.com Royal IW Agricultural Show, Chale Show and many of the smaller events such as coffee mornings and village fetes. I do my annual Summer Surgery around the towns and villages of the Island over two weeks and many people also make a point of coming to see me each year at my stand at the Garlic Festival. I let people know on my website (www. islandmp.org) and through Twitter where I will be. More recently I’ve tried to come up with some new ideas to make myself more accessible to Islanders. I held a drop-in session at the Isle of Wight Foodbank, which is based in the Church on the Roundabout in Newport. This was very useful, and a bonus was the tea and home-made ginger cake which one of the volunteers kindly provided. There are two more of these sessions planned on April 16 and May 28. I have also held a drop-in session for local businesses in French Frank’s in Ryde and plan to do more of these in the future. I have been on Twitter for about six months (@TheIslandsMP) and I am finding it an interesting way to engage with people so, at the time of writing, I have two twitter surgeries planned. I will make myself available to answer questions from Islanders and at another time to Island businesses. This second session is organised in 6