The recent announcement of new funding for the NRP is great news for the Mid Norfolk economy. With good planning, the growing centre of research excellence in Norwich can create a growing range of opportunities for people and businesses in Mid Norfolk. Just as the Cambridge Research Cluster has created great opportunities for hitherto low income agricultural economies in Cambridgeshire, so mid Norfolk, which so often loses out on investment, can benefit over time from its location on the A11 corridor between these two global hubs of innovation.

Fund of £5m creates 300 science jobs in Norfolk

New laboratories are designed to attract scientific research firms
Thirty new laboratories and offices for 300 research scientists are to be built in Norfolk with a £5m investment fund.

The new development is on land donated by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) at Norwich Research Park.
The aim is to attract new science companies and is the first stage of a plan to create up to 5,000 jobs in research by 2021.

There will also be space for new start-ups and for existing firms to expand.

BBSRC will provide £500,000, the East of England Development Agency £1.4m, Greater Norwich Development Partnership £1m, the University of East Anglia £500,000 and the remainder will come from other Norwich Research Park partners.

The new facilities, due to open in the summer, will be managed by a new joint venture company Colney Innovations Limited.

David Parfrey, BBSRC director of finance and director of Colney Innovations Limited, said: "Within one kilometre of this facility, there are no fewer than 2,700 research scientists focussed on health, food and environmental sciences - a unique resource in this country.
"By 2021, we plan to create the facilities for 5,000 new science-related jobs on Norwich Research Park which will make Norfolk one of the world's largest single-site scientific research centres."

George recently spoke to two branches of of the Young Farmers’ from the Mid Norfolk Constituency about engaging young people in politics.

Thirty-five members from the Dereham and North Elmham branches took part in the interactive session at Easton College.

Topics raised included worries about purchasing first homes, the difficulties faced by small businesses and the decline of Dereham high street.

Afterwards, George said “people are always saying young people aren’t interested in politics, but this session was was full of excellent ideas about how to tackle local problems. Many of the members offered to help with the campaign, and some of those who said they didn’t like or understand politics really enjoyed the discussion.”

“I’d like to thank the Young Farmers’ for their kind hospitality and we’re definitely going to incorporate their ideas and comments into the campaign.”

On Friday January 16th, George visited Wissington Sugar Beet Factory, Europe's largest sugar beet factory, a key customer of local growers, a major employer in the area and a pioneering example of agricultural innovation.

After the visit, George said:
"Wissington is important to the Norfolk economy not just because it is a major customer for so many local farmers and growers, but because it demonstrates the historic importance and potential of our manufacturing sector to our economy."

"Built in 1929, Wissington is now a pioneer in 'clean' manufacturing, re-cycling its waste and using its heat to warm Britain's largest single tomato glasshouse producing local norfolk tomatoes for our supermarkets.

"A trip around Wissington - and other factories - is a reminder of how important manufacturing and processing industries are to our economy and society. It is places like this which actually turn politicians words on promoting manufacturing, engineering, local food and reduced emissions into reality.

"We ought to be taking more of our school children around places like this to see the huge equipment, technology and food being processed and inspire them to realise how exciting engineering and manufacturing and industry can be."

A very Happy New Year to you all from a snowy Mid Norfolk. 2010 is an incredibly important year for British politics. The General Election will finally give people a simple choice between another five years of Gordon Brown or a new Conservative Government.

My campaign team are now busy planning for the election (whenever it is) and I’m looking forward to highlighting the positive work and campaigning that we have been doing over the past few years.

There are lots of things in the diary for the start of 2010. On January 30th I’m cycling the final leg of the bike tour (Watton to Attleborough) which will mean I’ve covered all 110 miles of the constituency boundary.

January 23rd and 30th will see the Freeman Team out on the doorsteps of Dereham. If you’d like to come along, send me an email.

I’m also looking forward to speaking to the local young farmers, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and attending the opening of the new IT suite at Beeston School.

We’re currently putting together details of the new Enterprise Forum for late February and I’ll be banging the drum for local entrepreneurs at the Norfolk Farming Conference on February 25th.

Over the next few months, there are going to be lots of opportunities for people to get involved with the campaign, and show how politics can make a difference to people’s lives in Mid Norfolk. If you are interested, please sign up to the email bulletin, follow me on Twitter, join the Facebook group or get in contact directly.

George

George is a strong supporter of our Armed Forces and recently signed the Royal British Legion’s ‘do your bit’ petition.

The petition outlines key actions that the next government can take to improve the lives of the brave members and families of the serving and ex-Service community.

George said, ‘The bravery of our service men and women is unrivaled and the covenant that people in Norfolk have with the forces is extremely strong.’

‘I am proud to ‘do my bit’ and I encourage everyone to do the same’.

For more information on the petition, please visit http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/campaigning/the-legion-manifesto

Photo: George signs Royal British Legion’s ‘do your bit’ petition

This autumn George and the team have been out and about regularly on Saturday mornings knocking on doors and talking to local voters.

George is supporting the Conservatives' Honest Food Campaign. and recently attended a Morrisons Dinner with a Difference event to see how supermarkets can make a contribution to raising animal welfare and food standards and promote British food and farming.

Guests at the events were given a masterclass by Ray Craven, the Master Butcher for Morrisons, before having to cut and cook their own beef.

The event was attended by Directors of the supermarket chain and Nick Herbert (Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Jim Paice (Shadow Minister for Agriculture) to discuss food sourcing and the efforts of Morrisons to use local farms as suppliers.

The Conservatives are demanding honest 'country of origin' labelling which would require products carrying the UK flag to be born, reared and processed in Britain. George said "the campaign for honesty in food labelling is extremely important to British farmers and consumers who are currently suffering due to shoddy laws and opaque labelling practices. Customers want to buy British and it is encouraging to see big firms like Morrisons taking positive steps and using local suppliers."

 

Photo: George with, from left to right, Nick Herbert, Jim Paice and Master Butcher Ray Craven.

Over 100 people from across Mid Norfolk came out to support the bonfire party to launch the new Norfolk Way Rural Enterprise Bursary.

Raising many hundreds of pounds for Help for Heroes and the Bursary, the event has been hailed as a triumph by attendees. ""The evening was a perfect of illustration of what The Norfolk Way is about: celebrating Norfolk's spirit of local self help, enterprise and excellence. The evening was about people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to support, and supported by, local entertainment, food and drink entrepreneurs to raise money for young entrepreneurs and our much valued service personnel. We will be making this an annual event."" said George Freeman, Founder of The Norfolk Way and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Norfolk.

Organisers have already confirmed the event will be held again next year on Friday 12 November 2010.

Over 150 people of all ages raised over £500 for Help for Heroes and the Bursary, and enjoyed a real family affair in the stunning floodlit barn of Hunter's Hall with: local fiddle band Rootsmusic, sparklers for the children, local hog roast, local beer from the Beeston Brewery, cider and juices from Breckland Juices, and toffee apples and donuts from Devilish Donuts.

The new Rural Enterprise Bursary has been founded by George Freeman in conjunction with local entrepreneurs. The scheme will provide financial support to young people living in rural areas of Norfolk to encourage rural entrepreneurship and bring new opportunities to Mid Norfolk school leavers. "We need to inspire and encourage a new generation of Norfolk entrepreneurs" said Ali Clabburn of Liftshare, who is supporting the scheme.

 

Photo: Over 100 people braved the gale to support the Norfolk Way Bonfire Party

In October George took the longest serving Campaign volunteers and families on a trip to Scolt Head Wildlife Sanctuary to experience Norfolk's stunning wildlife and landscape. "Politics should be about more than just debating policy, important though that is. We need to restore the 'civic' dimension to politics, making it fun and inclusive and welcoming for people of all ages. Unless we change the way we do politics, how will we ever inspire a new generation to get involved?'

"The Norwich cluster of scientific and research excellence is world class, and creates huge opportunities for Norfolk scientists and businesses to lead the world" said George Freeman, PPC for Mid Norfolk.

The Norwich Research Park boasts the world renowned John Innes Centre and Institute of Food Research, adjacent to the biomedical research campus at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital, and the UEA Centre for Climate Change. Together, these centres represent a world class cluster of excellence in the key technologies which will shape the world's ability to meet the rising challenges of shortages of food, water and energy, healthcare and environmental degradation arising from the world population explosion. Combined with Norfolk's tradition of innovativeengineering around the Lotus site at Hethel, agricultural training and development at Morley and Easton, world class agriculture, and finance for innovation in Norwich, we have the building blocks to be the Silicon Valley of the next wave of 'Clean' Technologies.

George, an adviser to the Iceni Fund which supports innovative companies on the Norwich Research Park, and a Director of Elsoms Seeds, has spent14 years in technology venturing before deciding to stand for Parliament. He founded and runs 4D Biomedical and 4D Cleantech technology advisory businesses, and The Norfolk Way, an innovative project to raise the profile of Norfolk's innovation potential and campaign for a more organic approach to development in Norfolk based on a more diverse rural economy.

For more details on The Norfolk Way and George's campaigns to promote a new approach to Norfolk's economy, contact george@thenorfolkway.co.uk or call 01842 829 748.

 

Photo: George supporting Norfolk's global leadership in Food and Crop Science at the John Innes Centre and Institute of Food Research on the Norwich Research Park.