North Somerset Conservatives are members of Somerset Conservatives, a grouping of Conservative Associations which cover the Seven Parliamentary Constituencies in the County of Somerset; Bath, Bridgwater & West Somerset, North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerton & Frome, Taunton Deane, and Wells.
We are people who believe in Conservative principles and the Conservative way of doing things - freedom of the individual coupled with responsibility to help those less fortunate. We therefore try in any way we can to make sure that the people who run our lives, by way of local government as well as our national parliament, are Conservatives, too.
Our members come from all walks of life and all age ranges. Some like to be very active within the Association, serving on committees and helping with all aspects of the organisation. Others are keen to attend fund-raising social events. Some do all those things.
During election campaigns, we are the ones who deliver the leaflets, stuff the envelopes, answer people’s queries, drive the cars, stand at the polling stations – anything at all which may persuade people to vote for the Conservative candidate.
We are entirely self-funding and receive no money from outside sources. We have to pay for every bit of local information you receive during those election campaigns - every piece of Conservative literature, every ‘phone call – all paid for with money raised by our Association.
We have many active branches in most areas of the constituency including the surrounding villages. Each has its own committee, elected annually, of chairman, secretary, treasurer, etc. Association members belong to whichever branch is appropriate for where they live and may, or may not, choose to be actively involved on their local committee. Committee members arrange fund-raising social events – coffee mornings, lunches, teas, dinners, quiz nights, barbecues, skittles, antiques shows, the list is endless.
At Association level, we hold lunches, dinners – even breakfasts or teas – with invited Cabinet members and MPs from other constituencies as guest speakers. This gives our members and their guests the opportunity to hear at first hand all the latest gossip from Westminster, what is going on in the Conservative Party, and also to ask those burning questions we feel we can only ask in private!
We also have a Ladies Luncheon Club where ladies get together for an excellent lunch about nine times a year to which interesting speakers are invited. Food for thought in more ways than one!