Supporting local producers

18 January 2025

It was a pleasure to visit the Silverhand Estate Farmers' Market in Luddesdown and meet with local farmers, small businesses and residents.


Markets such as this provide an important opportunity to support local producers, strengthen community ties and showcase the excellent food and drink businesses we are fortunate to have in Gravesham.


Although only in its third month, the Farmers' Market has already become a valuable addition to the local community. Taking place on the third Saturday of every month beside the Silverhand Distillery and The Lion Pub, it offers residents and visitors the chance to buy local produce and support independent businesses. I wish everyone involved continued success and look forward to seeing the market grow in the months ahead.

Leading local employer; PrepWorld

by Lauren Sullivan • 17 January 2025
It was a pleasure to visit PrepWorld today, a leading local employer which provides jobs for more than 500 people, many of whom live in Gravesham and the surrounding area. Businesses such as PrepWorld make a significant contribution to our local economy, creating employment opportunities, investing in skills, and supporting the prosperity of our community. The visit provided a valuable insight into the highly specialised processes involved in preparing fresh produce for consumers, as well as the rigorous standards required to ensure food quality and safety. It was also encouraging to hear about the company's future ambitions and plans for growth. My thanks to the team at PrepWorld for their warm welcome and for the important contribution they make to our local economy. 

Extra help for Gravesham to fix potholes

by Lauren Sullivan • 15 January 2025
Great to meet today with the Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander MP and Lillian Greenwood MP the Minister for Roads to talk about the huge investment that this Labour Government has made in fixing the blight of potholes. This means an extra £14 million on top of the £39 million base allocation for Kent County Council to fix their self declared 'managed decline' of the road network of which I expect Gravesham to get it's fair share. I also spoke to the Transport Secretary about the Lower Thames Crossing and have asked for another meeting to discuss this in detail and will also be discussing the Gravesend to Tilbury Ferry and Kent County Council and Thurrock Council's need to fund this for local residents and tourism to suport our local businesses and economy.

Tackling litter in our community

by Lauren Sullivan • 11 January 2025
Great to join one of Northfleet’s regular community litter picks today. Alongside the fantastic efforts of local volunteers, we identified several incidents of fly-tipping on railway land which I will be reporting to Network Rail for investigation and enforcement. Fly-tipping blights our neighbourhoods, harms the environment and leaves communities bearing the cost of clearing up other people's waste. Keeping Gravesham clean is everyone's responsibility, and I encourage residents to get involved in local litter picks, report fly-tipping when they see it, and help us take pride in our local area.  Together, we can make a real difference.