Regular readers of my column will remember that a few weeks ago I wrote about Sandy’s Farm in St Osyth which had recently hit some hard times and was facing having to close its doors for good. 

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the amazing work that Gary Clarke and Sandy Miller do for the community and they don’t even take a salary for doing so. Losing Sandy’s Farm would be a shame and a real loss to the community.   So, when they told me they had launched a fundraising campaign to raise some much-needed funds, I was only too happy to do what I could to help.  

As well as sharing Gary and Sandy’s story in the pages of this paper, I was also able to bring a GB News camera crew along to the farm to help bring their fundraising campaign to an even wider audience.

Many of you have now heard Gary and Sandy’s call for help, and have generously responded in kind. Over £13,000 has already been raised on the farm’s GoFundMe page which will go towards necessary improvements to the farm to make it winter-ready. 

As a result, I am very pleased to tell you that Gary and Sandy are now in a position to keep their farm open for a little longer yet. However, it would be remiss of me not to mention that donations are still very much welcome via their GoFundMe page for those with the means to give. 

Helping to put Sandy’s Farm on an even financial keel is a wonderful example of the great community spirit that we have here in Clacton and I hope that many more people have the opportunity to visit there in the days and weeks to come. I will always use my high profile as your MP to help local causes as much as I can.