Dear neighbour I hope you are well.

Full statement

It’s that time again for local elections and I am writing to you to ask for you support once again as County Councillor for the Bolsover South division. I think it would be fair to say that the last 12 months has been nothing like any of us have ever experienced before. Personally, I’ve been working at home for over a year as my husband is in the shielding category. This means the normal things that I would do – surgeries, door knocking and leafletting has been put on hold. And lots of community events have gone by the wayside such as the Langwith Show, Bolsover Lantern Parade, the Scarcliffe Barn dance…. I could go on. Many of us have lost relatives and friends to this terrible disease. Families have faced financial hardship. But I particularly worry about young people who have been isolated for so long and face an uncertain future. It’s been a long old winter. Let’s hope with lengthening days and summer warmth that things will start to get better. As Councillors we got extra money to help out with the coronavirus crisis and I was pleased to fund both the Freedom Project and Rhubarb Farm with projects that meant the most vulnerable were able to access nutritious food at the beginning of the crisis. More recently I have given money to Bolsover Youth Club so, when it’s allowed, young people can get back together socially and have fun. On a positive note, I think we’ve all come to appreciate what a beautiful place we live in. Poulter Country Park is right on my doorstep and over the last year, I must have walked every inch of it. It’s been great to see how many other people love it too and all the litter picking groups that have sprung up. I’ve also enjoyed walking through Scarcliffe Park woods which was resurfaced just before lockdown and along the Stockley Trail in Carr Vale. Overleaf are a few things that I am proud of achieving. Sadly, sometimes I can’t deliver what people want but I will try my best to help anyone who contacts me with an issue, even if it’s not county council business. Thank you for taking the time to read this and take care. Kind regards,

Joan Dixon Your Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate Mobile: 07748920070

My highlights • Getting Piano Row resurfaced at New Bolsover • Getting parking restrictions in Carr Vale so the bus can turn around • Replacing the street lights between Palterton and Hillstown that were taken away • Funding Bolsover groups with speed guns and Hi-Vis clothing • Campaigning for a Sunday train service between Mansfield and Worksop • Challenging developers who close footpaths in Langwith Junction and Bolsover • Fighting for the reinstatement of trains stopping at Chesterfield • Tackling overgrown footpaths in Upper Langwith and Scarcliffe • The resurfacing of paths at Poulter Country Park and through Scarcliffe Park woods • Fixing the lights at Whaley-Thorns railway station • Repairing Rylah Hill • New parking restrictions in Bolsover and Hillstown

Community Leadership Fund As a councillor we get a small amount of money to distribute to local groups. In the last 4 years, I have made grants to: • Rhubarb Farm • Junction Arts • Friends of New Bolsover • 4th Bolsover Scout group • Friends of Bolsover Parks • Scarcliffe Village Activities Committee • Hillstown Jubilee Club • Bolsover in Bloom • Hillstown Miners welfare Trust • East Scarsdale Scouts • Carr Vale Music Festival • Chesterfield TUC May Day celebrations • Bolsover School • Freedom Community Project • Nature Explorers • Community Action Bolsover • Bolsover District Bowls Group • Bolsover Parish Rooms • St John’s Ambulance • Bolsover Civic Society • North Derbyshire WASPI • Palterton Residents Association • Bolsover Town FC • Bolsover Community Gala • North East Derbyshire CFR group