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2 Welcome to Bridport & District Labour It is my pleasure to welcome you to your local Labour Party. Made up of over 500 members, from all across our community and all walks of life, we are a strong and diverse team committed to improving Bridport, Lyme Regis and the surrounding area. From attending regular social events and meetings to joining in with our campaigns on local and national issues, and perhaps even standing for office yourself, there are so many ways you can get involved. This booklet gives you an idea of what we do and how to get involved. Delivering our leaflets I know from when I joined that being a new member can sometimes be a daunting experience and that you might not know where to begin. So whether you are new to the Party or new to this Branch do read this guide, give us a call or send us an email and we ll let you know about upcoming events and how to get involved. Thank you for joining the Labour Party. I look forward to getting to know you and working with you for our local area and our country. Paula Davis Branch Membership Secretary
3 Contents Who we are 4 Other role holders 5 How to get involved 6 Dates for your diary 7 How to keep in touch 8 Local party jargon buster 9
4 Who we are Lucy Campbell, Branch Chair It is my responsibility to provide a lead on all aspects of organisation and activity within the Branch, working closely with other key role holders. I work with the Branch Secretary to organise member meetings and events and I chair each meeting. I work with comrades to co-ordinate our campaigning and communications with members and to ensure that the local Party is outward looking and at the heart of the local community. Email: chairbridportlabour@gmail.com Karen MacKay, Branch Secretary It is my responsibility to work closely with the Chair to organise meetings and events. I co-ordinate communications with members across a whole range of issues and work with others to ensure that action points are undertaken. My aim is to work with other officers to ensure that Bridport & District Branch is a strong, vibrant, welcoming and effective unit. Email: secretarybridportlabour@gmail.com Paula Davis, Branch Membership Secretary My job is to ensure that the Party continues to grow in the local area. I use Labour s online database to keep up-to-date records of membership within the Branch and make sure that everyone is getting the most out of their membership. I focus on retaining existing members, recruiting new members and providing a welcoming and supportive environment. I try to ensure that membership is at the heart of all activity we do in Bridport, Lyme Regis and the surrounding area. Email: membershipbridportlabour@gmail.com Nick Boothroyd, Branch Campaign Organiser Across the country the aim for every Labour branch is campaigning for change in our local communities and to get our candidates elected. It is my responsibility to work closely with candidates and fellow officers to ensure that an effective, co-ordinated campaign is delivered in Bridport, Lyme Regis and the surrounding area. Email: bridportlabour@gmail.com
5 Other role holders Phyllida Culpin, Treasurer. I ensure the local party complies with the Party funding regulations as well as helping the Branch to build the financial resources it needs to run effective campaigns by setting budgets and fundraising targets. Email: secretarybridportlabour@gmail.com Thomas Crabtree, Youth Officer. I take the lead on recruiting and engaging young people, ensuring that young members get as much as they can out of their membership and have their say. Email: youthofficerbridportlabour@gmail.com Sally Meadows, Women's Officer. I ensure that women members are included in all of the Party's activities and that the local Party reaches out to women in the wider community through local campaigns. Email: womensofficersbridlab@gmail.com Sarah Carney, Press Officer. My role is to raise awareness of Branch activities and policy through media communications such as press releases and letters to the editor. Email: bridportlabourpress@gmail.com Bella McEvoy, Social Media Officer. My job is to put Labour news, policies and ideas into the public sphere via social media (mostly Facebook but Twitter too). I manage our Facebook page which is open to the public and answer any messages. If you feel there is something important to share with the wider community it can be posted online as long as it is suitable. Email: secretarybridportlabour@gmail.com
6 How to get involved Members are at the heart of the Labour Party and we are only as strong as our membership. It's great that you have joined our Branch and the next step to getting the most out of your membership is to get involved locally. Attend a branch meeting Come along to a monthly branch meeting in Bridport and join us in the pub afterwards. Branch meetings are a great introduction to the way the Party works locally and an opportunity to meet likeminded people. At a meeting we may listen to a guest speaker, discuss and help to develop branch and national policy, organise campaigning and fundraise for the party. New and returning members are particularly welcome. You don't need to be an expert in Labour Party policy to join in. Join a campaigning session Our aim is to campaign throughout the year for upcoming elections and on national and local issues. You can take part by door-knocking, delivering leaflets or attending special campaign days. We offer support through training and mentoring to give you the skills to be able to do all of these confidently and competently. Come along to a social event We organise several social events throughout the year, some of which are open to members' families and friends. These informal events are great fun as well as helping us to raise funds, through ticket sales and raffles, to support our local campaigning activity. If you want to stay active while you socialise why not join our socialist walking group? Participate in a special interest group Members have set up groups to discuss and organise activity around the themes of campaigning, fundraising and membership engagement. We also have a housing group, which discusses local and national housing issues. New and newly-transferred members are always welcome to join these groups or to suggest ideas for new groups. Stand as a local candidate Did you know that after you have been a member for a year you can stand as a Labour candidate in the local council elections? We are always looking for enthusiastic members to put their names forward. Training and support is available. Spread the word Like our Facebook page https://engb.facebook.com/bridportanddistrictlabourparty/ and follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/bridlab?lang=en You'll find dates of meetings and social events on the next page. If you would like more information about any of our activities please contact Karen MacKay: secretarybridportlabour@gmail.com On the march at Tolpuddle
7 Dates for your diary Below is a calendar of meetings, campaigning and social events happening in the area. We hope you are able to come along and get involved. To keep up to date with all of our key activities please visit our website https://bridportlabour.org.uk/ Facebook page https://en-gb.facebook.com/bridportanddistrictlabourparty/ or check with our Branch Secretary secretarybridportlabour@gmail.com Unless otherwise advised all listed events take place at the Women's Institute Hall, North Street, Bridport, DT6 3JQ. 10/10/2018 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting 07/11/2018 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting 28/11/2018 07:00PM-09:00PM CLP Annual General Meeting, Bridport Town Hall 08/12/2018 07:00PM-11.30PM Christmas social (live band and bar) 30/01/2019 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting 27/02/2019 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting 27/03/2019 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting (venue to be confirmed) 10/04/2019 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting 08/05/2019 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting 19/06/2019 07:15PM-09:00PM Branch meeting Why not join our socialist walking group?
8 How to keep in touch Notices of branch meetings, campaigning events and other activities are sent by email so please remember to notify us of any changes to your email address. If you have a gmail account you may find that our emails appear under your promotions tab. If you are not receiving emails from us please contact Karen MacKay: secretarybridportlabour@gmail.com
9 Local Party jargon buster You might have come across a lot of confusing acronyms and terms since you joined the Labour Party. In our jargon buster we explain some of the terms you're likely to hear locally. If you come across any other confusing terms please feel free to ask for clarification. AGM Annual General Meeting Yearly meetings of all members within a branch where the Executive Committee reports on activity and elections are held to fill officer roles for the next year. BLP Branch Labour Party Branch Labour Parties operate over an electoral ward. Branch is the collective term for all Party members within that ward (or wards). Branch meetings are usually held on a monthly basis. Bridport & District Labour Branch covers a large area of West Dorset: from Lyme Regis to Maiden Newton, taking in both Beaminster and the Marshwood Vale. Branch Officers/Coordinators Role holders handle the dayto-day running of the local Party. They sit on the Executive Committee and coordinate campaigns, fundraising and social events. The positions are voted on each year at the Annual General Meeting. For more information about current Branch officers and their roles please see pages 4 and 5 of this booklet. CLP Constituency Labour Party This is the local Labour Party within your Parliamentary Constituency. There is a Constituency Labour Party in every Parliamentary Constituency of England and Wales. Bridport & District Branch is one of three branches of the West Dorset Constituency Labour Party, the others being Dorchester & District and Sherborne. West Dorset Constituency Labour Party All Member meetings are held quarterly and alternate between Bridport and Dorchester. EC or Exec Executive Committee The Executive Committee is a sub-group of the Branch and is made up of elected Branch officers. Bridport & District Executive Committee meets once a month to agree the agenda for Branch meetings and to discuss issues pertaining to officer roles. Motion A proposal formally submitted to a meeting for discussion and possible adoption. Motions can be useful to help reach clarity and consensus on a particular political issue. Motions are carried by a simple majority at Branch Labour Party or Constituency Labour Party meetings, where members may choose to vote for or against the motion, or to abstain. Motions should be sent to the Branch/CLP Secretary at least seven days in advance of a Branch/CLP meeting.