LABOUR Party members in west Wiltshire are on a high, after a meeting they held in Trowbridge attracted over 50 people, proving that local support for the party is growing.

"The turnout at the Town Hall last Thursday showed that Trowbridge, like the rest of the country, is getting excited by the new kind of politics on offer," said SW Wilts Labour party member Laura Pictor, one of the team who organised the open meeting.

Membership of the South West Wiltshire Labour Party, which totalled 118 before the General Election, now stands at 590 members and supporters, and is increasing daily. In May Labour's young candidate George Aylett, who went on to play a pivotal role in Jeremy Corbyn's campaign for the Labour leadership, recorded the best result for the party for many years, attracting 6,948 votes, 13.5 per cent of the poll, and beating the Liberal Democrats into fourth place. The seat remained in the hands of sitting Conservative MP Dr Andrew Murrison, with UKIP taking second place.

"Over the last few months the people of Britain, often labelled as apathetic, have demonstrated an enthusiasm for party political involvement, the like of which has not been seen for decades," Ms Pictor said.

New Labour member Phoebe Kemp added: “It has been exciting to see the energy and hope that has taken hold of the Labour Party since Corbyn’s election. It’s even more thrilling that it’s happening here, in Wiltshire, too.”

Discussions at the meeting ranged from the refugee crisis and changes in voter registration, through to local concerns about fracking and the closure of children’s centres.

Ms Pictor recently attended Labour’s annual conference in Brighton. “I feel so privileged to have been able to attend as our local delegate. I can’t imagine a better year to have picked," she said. "The atmosphere there was just incredible, and the party as a whole felt vibrant and strong. There is such disparity between what you witness firsthand and what the right-wing media like to portray.

"The Labour Party now has a clear anti-austerity message which the local group will also be taking forward; fighting against cuts from both central government and Wiltshire Council."

John Jordan, the constituency secretary, told last Thursday's gathering: “Tonight is the start of the campaign; we can now begin to address local issues with the honest politics that Jeremy Corbyn represents. We can look forward to becoming an elected force to bring about positive change for the people of Wiltshire.”