On Saturday 13 June, Nottingham Green Party hosted the East Midlands Regional Conference at the Queen’s Walk Community Centre in The Meadows. This was an opportunity to welcome over 80 of our fellow members from around the region, celebrate our four new MPs and other successes over the year, and think together about how we can build further on this base. It was especially exciting to see lots of new members coming along, reflecting the party’s growing membership base nationally and here in the East Midlands.
The day began with an overview from the new co-chairs, Frank Adlington-Stringer and Ben Gray, who thanked the outgoing committee, as well as the conference organisers, and laid out their plans for the coming year. This was followed by break-out sessions, with those attending choosing from a fun Green Bingo session, a welcome meeting dedicated to New Members, and a Local Party Coordinators Meeting. Then we heard from the region’s Field Coordinator, Laurie Needham, who led an insightful review of the General Election. After a very tasty lunch, there were talks about Solar Farms from the perspectives of two different stakeholders, and a look back at our outstanding regional performances in the recent Mayoral and PCC elections. The concluding speaker, Zack Polanski, the Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, took the stage to thank all members for their commitment, reflect on the recent election campaign and lay out strategies for growing our membership and support through engaged community action, especially now there are four MPs with a profile to put our ideas forward in the media. Those staying on after the conference enjoyed some more informal discussion and brainstorming in the nearby Vat and Fiddle.
Overall, the day was a very fitting way to mark the recent electoral successes, a friendly and relaxed way for members all across the region to get to know each other, and a great chance to share our ideas and build the platform for a politics of real hope and real change!
