Cheryl Gillan MP praises community spirit

Jun 28 2012 by Jack Abell, Buckinghamshire Advertiser

THE Little Chalfont Village Day and the Chesham Carnival, both on June 16, were very impressive gatherings and highly enjoyable for everyone who took part.

It is always inspiring to see the younger members of our community taking an active and proactive part and, in particular, the schools in Chesham where so much creative effort goes into their floats.

Taking the theme of the Diamond Jubilee, I am sure the pupils had a lot of fun in looking back through the 60 years of history of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Parents, grandparents and great-grandparents have no doubt been asked about their memories of the Queen’s Golden and Silver Jubilees, the Coronation and other events. This is mutual, oral history and family memories will become part of that, shared with the wider community.

What was evident at these events is how fantastic a community spirit we have. It is not only for the Jubilee, although there have already been many events dedicated to this during 2012 and there will be many more. I know of conversations in which people have speculated fondly about what title a 70th Jubilee might be given – and have thought about future celebrations! (I recently attended a 70th Wedding Anniversary which was described as “Platinum”.)

Community spirit has definitely been fostered by the Diamond Jubilee. As Member of Parliament, I hear good stories all the time about how people help one another within our community, volunteer and want to give their help, whether it is locally, nationally or globally. The message of the Diamond Jubilee has reinforced these feelings of good-will and inclusiveness.

The people who volunteer to make our community a better place are fantastic and what they do is genuinely appreciated. They may never know, personally, the difference they make, they might not ever meet the people they help – they may even wonder whether what they are doing has any effect – but the things that they make happen are truly worthwhile.