On the doorsteps in Whickham

We had a Whickham action day today. It started with delivery of our latest Focus in Swalwell, my old home turf though I didn't do the patch where I lived from 1987 to 2002 (when we moved to Sunniside). Back to Cllr Chris Ord's house for lunch (pictured above). In the afternoon we headed out as a team to canvass in Whickham North. We found no Labour voters, 2 Conservatives (both at the same household and I remember canvassing them nearly 30 years ago when this area was part of my Whickham South ward - they were Conservative then as well), some Ukips and a good number of people voting for us locally and nationally and a further number of people voting for us locally but voting for other parties for the Parliamentary election. The split voting does not surprise me. We have endured this for as long as I've been politically active in Blaydon - ie over 30 years.

The biggest issues raised with me by residents had nothing to do with politics. My self-sufficiency activities continue to attract interest from residents. "How are the goats/allotment/bees/hens?" were the most frequently asked questions! I had a number of conversations about goat breeding, keeping pigs and how to use goats milk. Alas, all that time spent on swotting up on policies and key messages was not put to productive use today. Hopefully on the next canvass outing the questions will be as much about politics as it is about me and the good life!