"Swindon for Europe has a letter writing group. Most of us communicate via a messenger group. We have found this to be an excellent medium for exchanging ideas, encouraging each other and suggesting responses to the replies we have had from our  MPs. Some people like to share their draft letters for comments prior to sending them. Others seek ideas or facts to include in their letters. 

Not all of our writers are on Facebook however so we also communicate via email. One person, a retired MFL teacher, requested a one to one meeting with me to gather her thoughts and ideas before she felt confident enough to write. 

Several people confessed that they hadn’t sent letters because they were procrastinating, redrafting and seeking to send the perfect letter. We keep repeating the “quantity not quality” mantra but not everyone is convinced by this, so we held a letter writing party on the afternoon of 13 October in a hotel in the town centre. Several people attended and despite the fact that our meeting place was crowded and noisy we produced and posted close to 20 letters.

After the March on Saturday 20th October, many of us returned home to find letters from our MPs. They were identical and therefore generalised and had the photographs of both Swindon MPs on the HoC notepaper. This incensed us and many of us have responded with anger that our concerns are not being taken seriously enough.

In general, our MPs are more likely to respond to emails. Justin Tomlinson more than Robert Buckland. Once they have replied to our emails they are more likely to engage with our replies to these asking for more details. 

We are planning a second letter writing party on the afternoon of Remembrance Sunday, this time in the central library. We consider the date to be appropriate since the #1 reason to remain is Peace in Europe."

Sarah Bowles

Find out more about Swindon for Europe on their website, facebook and twitter