Merry Christmas Ashford

Ashford on the Map was a great success again this year due to the hard work of Ashford Pride Team.  I enjoyed the Christmas cakes, drinks and won some prizes. Everyone wins something there, if you were not there than you have missed a wonderful event.  The town was heaving with so many wonderful people that I personally know and many high street shops were also open; church road and Ashford car park was full with stalls from edge to edge; there was a Christmas Fair for children and grown up if they can fit in. There was something for everyone as there were so many mixtures of stalls from various charities and private businesses, wonderful; there was a true Christmas spirit present in Ashford.

I was very pleased to be part of Ashford on the Map once again this year and enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people whom I have known for many years like Barry Muggeridge. Barry and I are involved in many town groups and help organise various activities to make Ashford a better place to live and work.

Some readers may be interested to know more about Ashford and Ashford Pride Team here: http://www.ashfordpride.co.uk/. You can meet me in Ashford library on ‘Councillor Surgery Day’, which is held first Saturday of every month at 11-12 noon. You will also meet your very hard working Cnty Councillor Carol Coleman there. We are here to help you, so please come and meet us and have coffee & tea with us. You can also phone or email me at cllr.ayub@spelthorne.gov.uk.

May this Christmas bring you joy; the New Year brings happiness and prosperity to you, your families and friends.

 

Christmas Day: I love you

Raising money for Mayor's Charities singing Xmas Carols

Supporting Mayor's Charities:

I was dressed as Santa Claus raising money for the Spelthorne Borough's Mayor Cllr Robin Sider 4 charities below:

1. The Spelthorne Multiple Sclerosis Society 
2. The Spelthorne Alzheimer's Society 
3. Spelthorne Gymnastics Club 
4. The Swan Sanctuary

I was happy to see the Mayor of Spelthorne Cllr Robin Sider again with so many councillors including the Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council, Cllr Frank Ayers and his wife Ann and other supporters and carollers turned up to sing and spread the Christmas cheer all around in this Holy month of the birth of our beloved Jesus Christ. Thank you to Cllr Chris Bannister for organising Carolling Councillors event yearly raising much needed funds for the Mayor’s chosen charities.

I then embarked on spreading the simple message of Christmas cheer (not raising any money though), dressed as Santa on Church Road, Ashford after the Elmsleigh centre experience and met many shop keepers, passersby, and people waiting on the bus stops, taking pictures when I could. Nearly everyone was happy to see me as I saw people beeping their cars wishing me 'Merry Christmas', I was so delighted, felt happy and energised that Ashford is such a nice place to live and do business as people are just simply humble and happy people, courteous and generous to the core and I believe that Ashford is excellent town location for business development. A few would have paid me to shut-up too, either way I would have simply forwarded that money to the Mayor's charities. Well, an idea for next year.

Afterwards I embarked on my journey to other areas, doing the same, wishing everyone 'Merry Christmas and happy new year' all around, I received the same positive responses, people beeping, getting my attention, children waving, mothers pointing at me and their children who were simply so happy to see me, many mums had pictures taken with me and their children, next to the prams and their cars, one father even stopped his car on the road in Uxbridge road Hillingdon so that his children can have a good look at me from the back seat and they all waved and shouted “Father Christmas”. I wished that there was someone making a movie of all this to share with you all. I met one lady called Jean Barrett in Uxbridge too (former resident of Staines) who gave me £5 for the Mayor's charities without my prompt when I told her what I did earlier. £5 that Jean gave me along with my £20, I saved sending eCards to everybody, saving a few trees along the way with the cue from Cllr Budd & Smith Ainsley, thank you to you both.

I believe that if I carried the bucket I would have easily raised hundreds of pounds more for Mayor’s Charities at this special time of the year when people are charitable and they happily give to charities and help the poor and needy.

I strongly believe that the vast majority of the people around the world are good people, charitable, forgiving, loving, no matter what religion, nationality or group they are from, which is evident from funds raised by hundreds of charities around the world regularly, but I believe that British people are the most generous of them all, which we must promote and highlight in everything we do, instead of so much negative press we get from the media. Britain is a wonderful place to live, do business and visit.

I would like to start a "Santa Cllrs Sleigh Group with Bells" which will travel at all the main high streets of Spelthorne few days before Christmas next year, spreading Christmas cheer, raising money for various Charities, any takers? Please let me know if you wish to join.

We played a very small part in the Elmsleigh Centre on Saturday raising much needed funds for Mayor’s Charities but much work still needs to be done as the squeeze of social reforms hit many in our Borough, and I know that all of us feel the pain too and I have no doubt that what can be done by Spelthorne Borough Council will be done to reduce the effect these changes will have on those that are most vulnerable in our Borough where possible. I do thank Kwasi Kwarteng MP and Ashford Pride team who managed to acquire £10,000 from the Government for uplifting Ashford, much credit goes to Ashford Pride team. Along with them, Ashford on the Map, Ashford Rotary Club, Ashford Camera club, Royal British Legion and SSFA volunteers are our unsung heroes that do so much for our lovely town of Ashford and no doubt much more still needs to be done and is being done by them and many other groups, my big thank you goes to all of you and may you have a very happy Christmas and prosperous new year 2013.

I would like to thank all the councillors and staff at Spelthorne Borough council who work so hard throughout the year to make Spelthorne a nice place to live and do business. My special Christmas thanks goes to the residents of Ashford, Ashford East & Ashford Common for their support and good wishes with so many messages of support I receive on regular basis, God bless you all and thank you to all of you. May this blessed month make your new year 2013 a happy and prosperous one for you and your family.

Residence of Ashford, Ashford East & Ashford Common have been meeting with me and County Cllr Coleman with their concerns since I became a councillor at Ashford Library on first Saturday of every month at 11am-12 noon, they should check with the library staff of any changes in the schedule. The residents have also been communicating with me via telephone, email and letters where all have been responded to by me, Cllr Fraser and Cllr Mitchell. I continue to encourage all the residents with concerns to contact us straight away as some matters may require urgent action. Thank you.

 

Christmas Carol Singing in Council Chamber

Mrs Gillian Hobbs, Committee Manager organised this wonderful get together for staff and councillors singing Christmas Carols together in the Council Chamber. It was exciting experience by everybody. I managed to get some photos. The music and event was hosted by the Mayor of Spelthorne Cllr Robin Sider. "Partridge in the tree" was my line. Every body requested to sing twice, marvelous. I am totally delighted at the good heartedness of the staff at Spelthorne, and of course Gillian Hobbs.
Special guess was Kevin Hurley a new PCC for Surrey and Leader of the Spelthorne Borough Council Cllr Frank Ayres was next to me.

 

Legacy of the Torch Dinner in Eton

http://www.london2012.com/venue/eton-dorney/

This dinner was organised by ISB in a very nice location of Eton Dorney rowing club, an British Olympic ground owned by Eton College. The dinner was nice but not enough, all I was thinking about was a burger and chips afterwards. There were many famous celebrities speaking about the need to support ISB like Kristiane Backer, Naeem Raza, Ajmal Masroor, Julie Siddique and Dilwar Hussein.

There were number of British Athelets who took part in London Olympics 2012, won medals and represented the muslim community and played a positive role for Great Britain and showed diversity at work and all proud to be British, which was very nice for me to witness the work of ISB.

Met many younsters men and women from various part of the British Community from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Of course England. Networking was at work and cards were exchanged. My highlight was meeting Kristiane Backer, an MTV presenter who shared her experiences about Islamic experiences and talked about her book "from MTV to Mecca", which has been read and appreciate by ArchBishop of Canterbury. Julie Siddique did a fantastic job on organising the event and leading ISB and giving it a new image, well done Julie. Dilawar Hussein what a nice man, an academic and well respected.
The book written by Katie Piper "Beautiful" was given out free, to highlight the victims of acid attack victims and Katie's work and involement with ISB was appreciated. It was a wonderful evening for me.

 

Walton Bridge Site Visit under construction

Mrs Gillian Hobbs the Committee Manager of Spelthorne Borough Council organised the successful visit. The intro, presentation and changing to protective gear took about an hour. The presentation covered the history of the bridge, some of the design considerations and constraints that Surrey County Council has faced and also the progress to date, taking in some of the innovations and cost savings they have introduced were mentioned. The walk round tour took around 2 hours.

The visit to Walton Bridge Site was thoroughly enjoyed by five Members  Councillor Asif Ayub, Sam Budd, Sandra Dunn, Tm Evans;  Alan Patterson.

Yes It was a fantastic trip, Andrew Woodward who is Surrey County Council project manager was simply awesome, very pleasant and made the trip exciting, the live experience we had simply was memorable, some of us got an opportunity to play in the mud J, in fact all of us J, see the picture evidence. I have tried to capture most moments and points of interest, no doubt the visitors (us) will remember it for a long time. I sent out an email to all Conservative Group of councillors to book your place, as I am hoping that the pictures I sent in to them will drive the rest to go, and I think we all looked good in a uniform J

 

Campaigning Day Sunbury Common 2012

Wow, non stop, efforts are made to talk to un willing residents who are just simply not warming to the Conservatives, its sad as most Conservatives feel more at home with UKIP, Labour is also making a head way and seeing their chance, Lib dems shaken with renewed interest and seeing that it just possible someone else my take Sunbury Common, hopes are alive on all sides.

But according to rise of UKIP, my hopes of Conservative victory is shaken but still hopeful that we might just do it, if only UKIP supporters understands that UKIP may not be ble to make  difference to their lives. But seems disillusionment with coalition was evident. But determination and hope must remain alive as these give me hope. As this will also strengthen my branch.
Although we have blitz the town again.