In our latest councillor’s column, Conservative Emma Supple explains how the community in Enfield Town is pulling together to tackle anti-social behaviour

Town ward councillor Emma Supple (left) on patrol with Love Your Doorstep, including founder Emma Rigby (right)

For me as a Conservative, I believe in free choice and using the money in your pocket to support local businesses.

As an Enfield resident of many years now, I have always tried to buy local. I shop in SJ Smith, the organic butchers, and try as much as possible to buy my fruit and veg from Paul and Audrey in Enfield Town Market.

Holtwhites Bakery is a treasure in Enfield and now has a second shop in Palmers Green. I make sure to shop in Pearsons as much as I can as well, especially now as it celebrates 120 years in Enfield Town!

However, there is a more challenging side to Enfield Town, and we all need to pull together to tackle it. The issue is crime and antisocial behaviour. We have several schools in the area whose pupils congregate in the town centre at the end of the school day, and I am very pleased to be taking part in the community patrols set up by Emma Rigby from Love Your Doorstep.

Recently, patrol volunteers like myself were welcomed at New Scotland Yard and given police community awards to recognise our service to Enfield – contributing to a reduction in crime levels, making our high street safer. This was a real accolade to those people who saw that there was an issue and stepped in. The patrol is always in need of volunteers, and it is a pleasant and positive way to spend an hour or so.

I have made Enfield my home and have raised my three children here. I also run my business here. We recently moved to new premises in London Road, which has been fantastic for visibility – I have a great team of podiatrists and assistants who help me run Supplefeet.

I have also been ‘brown owl’ of the 2nd Enfield Brownies group for over 25 years, and in doing so I have had the privilege of watching young women grow and flourish and become owls themselves. We were the first pack to go on holiday after the end of the Covid-19 restrictions, and we never gave up on the girls all the way through lockdown. Many packs had to close, but ours has thrived. Everywhere I go I see some of my old brownies and that gives me great joy.

My work as a local councillor has focused on health scrutiny and this has been a fascinating insight into areas other than footcare. I have been appointed as the trustee for the Belling Education Foundation, supporting the advancement of education, in particular electrical engineering and electronics. The charity provides grants to enable persons to take advantage of such educational facilities – do apply via the website link at Enfield Council for 2024 funding.

Most recently, Enfield mayor Suna Hurman and I were invited to our twinned town, Gladbeck in Germany. It was great to join their apple festival and work is underway to welcome them back to Enfield in 2024.

Emma Supple is one of three councillors representing Town ward, alongside Michael Rye and Jim Steven (all Conservative). To get in touch:
Email [email protected]

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