The West Suffolk Conservative Association held it's Annual General Meeting on Friday 13th June with over 50 members in attendance. The Officers of the Association were all elected unopposed and the attendees then heard from the guest speaker, Frances Lasok, Voluntary Party Director of the Conservative Policy Forum, who gave an excellent speech and took many questions. Frances reminded members that the Conservative Party is the original democratic party, originating from 1872 and the Great Reform Act. Reform, she said, are supporters, not members and whether Nigel Farage is UKIP or BREXIT or REFORM, it is all about him. She stressed that we have an immense talent in our membership and CPF has the opportunity to shape Conservative policy. She spoke with passion and took many questions and the Association is very grateful to her for coming to Newmarket from Leamington Spa!
The AGM is also the moment for the Chair to make the Jill Simpson Award presentation. This is awarded to someone or a group who have made the biggest contribution to the Association in the previous 12 months. It was such a surprise to the recipient who was poised with his phone to take a photo of the winner himself, not realising he was the winner! Benedict Greening, Campaign Manager for Nick Timothy, drove our successful campaign last summer and helped us get Nick elected as the MP for West Suffolk. He lived and breathed the campaign, rarely sleeping or eating from what we could make out! He had members folding, stuffing, sticking, delivering and knocking on doors as if their lives depended on it. He was a most popular winner of this year's award which is the gift of the Chair alone. He was so surprised and so deserving of the Award.
