By-election victor at Gateshead meeting

I attended the Gateshead East Lib Dem branch meeting last night to give my group leader's report and talk about the issues on which we are fighting the forthcoming local elections. However, I was not the guest speaker! That privilege fell to Martin Haswell, the Lib Dem victor in the Pallion by-election in Sunderland last month. He talked us through how he was able to take the Lib Dem vote from 4% to 54%. I'm pleased to report that many of the techniques are now being used by us in Gateshead.