Andrew Mitchell MP has met John Cooper, Christian Aid’s Regional Co-ordinator for the West Midlands and local Christian Aid volunteers Emma Flynn and Hugh Brocklebank to voice support for Christian Aid Week 2011. The meeting was held on Friday 13 May in Mr Mitchell’s constituency office. This year’s Christian Aid week runs from 15–21 May and will see many Sutton Coldfield volunteers, ranging from 20 to 82 years old, out collecting door to door, running fundraising events and raising the profile of the work of Christian Aid and the issues facing many of the poorest people in the world. Andrew heard how Hugh Brocklebank, a Civil Engineering Consultant, has been collecting for Christian Aid for 15 years. Mr Brocklebank attends St James’ Church in Four Oaks and has recently met a visitor from the Philippines who described in detail the help Christian Aid provided following a mudslide, help such as emergency relief, clean water and sanitation as well as agricultural advice so that new crops would grow on the mud. Andrew Mitchell also heard how this year’s Christian Aid Week is supporting a co-operative in Nicaragua which grows coffee. Thanks to help from Christian Aid the co-operative has made dramatic improvements to their land and crop, the coffee that they grow is now some of the best in the world. The campaigners also stressed their concerns about the impact of climate change on the world’s poorest. Andrew Mitchell MP said, “It was a pleasure to meet Sutton’s Christian Aid team today and I hope that as many people as possible join me in supporting this year’s Christian Aid Week. “The role of Christian Aid in delivering on the ground help and emergency relief to some of the world’s poorest is incredibly important.” Photo: Local volunteers Emma Flynn and Hugh Brocklebank with Andrew Mitchell MP and a bag of coffee from the Nicaraguan co-operative.