In the run up to the General, Borough and Parish Council elections on May 7th we are publishing brief interviews with each of the candidates that respond to our request (before the end of the month).
To read the interviews with other candidates click on the tags at the bottom of the article. For example, pieces on the other candidates for the Alderley Edge Parish Council election will all be tagged 'Alderley Edge Parish Council Election'. Candidates representing the same party or group will also be connected via the tags.
Christine Munro is an AlderleyEdgeFIRST candidate for Alderley Edge Parish Council.
Christine born in Alderley Edge and still lives in the house in which she was born. Her family have lived in Alderley Edge since the 1800s and her grandmother bought the house she lives in shortly after it was built.
When she left school, Christine joined ICI and became a secretary to a Divisional Manager based at Alderley Park. Six years ago she started her own business making preserves, chutneys and relishes and since then she has won 11 'Great Taste Awards' for her products.
Christine said "Running my own business has been a wonderful experience, and has led to a few television appearances, as well as being shortlisted for Woman of the Year and Cheshire Businesswoman of the Year. I am still very much involved in the business, together with my son. I also run Farmers' Markets for Sale and Warrington Councils, though sadly I have been prevented from running them here in Alderley Edge.
"Five years ago I re-started the May Fair, which was an annual event in the village up to the 1980s. It has been hard going, but we now have a great team of enthusiastic supporters who work well as a committee to share the workload. It is great to see thousands of people turning out on the day to enjoy the festivities."
Christine's interests include reading, gardening and meeting people; she is currently President of Wilmslow & District Lions.
Speaking about why she decided to stand for election as a parish councillor, Christine told me "I believe that it is good to look at issues with a new team of dedicated people who will bring their expertise to the table and seek out solutions that possibly haven't been considered previously. I am proud to be part of such a group and, should we be elected, I am looking forward to the challenges ahead."
When asked about the important issues facing Alderley Edge, Christine said "Parking is always an important issue for everyone in the village. Should we be elected this will be one of our priorities, looking at the issues thoroughly before making a decision.
"Bringing the community together is something I personally feel very strongly about. If we could, again, foster a strong community spirit amongst the people of Alderley Edge I believe we can create a village to be proud of."
She added "I would like to be part of a Parish Council which is respected by the villagers - a Parish Council which works with the community and listens to their concerns."
When asked whether she is for or against plans to build a car park on the site of the Heyes Lane allotments, Christine said "I would like to see all the information the present Parish Council has looked at re. car parking around the village. I am open to any plan to alleviate the problem of finding somewhere for visitors and workers in the village to find somewhere to park their car. However I do find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the Heyes Lane Allotment Site was given to the village by the De Traffords and a covenant was attached to them restricting their use to an open space, recreation ground, playing field, allotments or public gardens. I do not see a car park as a substitute to any of these."
She added "I would not rule out using this site but I would want to look at all the options.
"The Doctors have stated they do not need any additional car parking spaces than those already assigned to them at The Festival Hall. I am sure the Doctors have looked into this thoroughly and know what they are talking about.
"So the Heyes Lane site would be used as a long stay car park for workers in the village. I cannot see shoppers and visitors to the restaurants walking from Heyes Lane to the village."
Christine proposed the following as alternative suggestions for improving the parking situation in the village"
A multi storey car park behind Aldeli which has already got planning permission,
Section off a larger area on the Park for a car park
A section of the football field on Chorley Hall Lane
Shared parking where residents parking already exists
And any other suggestions forthcoming from other members of the new Parish Council of which I hope to be a member.
Finally I asked Christine why Alderley Edge residents should vote for her? She replied "That's a tough question! Maybe they should vote for me because I am prepared to work tirelessly to make Alderley Edge a better place in which to live. I am a person who always tries to find a solution to a problem rather than saying 'it can't be done'."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
You have my vote
I'm beginning to think that AE1 will be more than the sum of their parts.
Rather than the 'firefighting group' that we have now, whose only weapons seem to be political dogma and bullying, I can see that in AE1 we could have a real catalyst for a lot of positive things happening in the future - not just around the council table but across the village as a whole.
Can we please not turn her interview into a political ping pong site? There are plenty of other sites for that.
I think it's quite illustrative....Christine represents the "Ping" in local politics and Duncan represents the "Pong."
Just a thought!