LIBERAL Democrat activists have urged party members in West Wiltshire to help elect Helen Belcher, the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Chippenham, as the constituency's next MP.

At a rally in Bradford on Avon attended by up to 100 people, they urged supporters to sign up as members, donate to campaign fundraising, and start taking action ahead of the next General Election.

They are hoping to take the Liberal Democrat fight to the district's doorsteps with the hope of unseating sitting Conservative Party MP, Michelle Donelan.

Activist Lizzy Willis, from Corsham, told the rally: "It is just brilliant to be in this room tonight and see all these people here.

"In 2008 I had this funny feeling inside of me about politics and I happened to quite by chance join the Liberal Democrats and it has been the best thing that I have ever done in my life. It changed my life.

"Since then I have run my own campaigns, I have been leafleting, I have been door knocking, I have been stuffing envelopes, writing envelopes and building teams.

"It is just the best feeling in the world and we did all that in the run up to the 2010 election when we got the Liberal Democrat MP Duncan Hames elected.

"We are going to get the second Liberal Democrat MP elected at the next General election but we need all of you.

"We need you to come out and knock on the doors, we need you to deliver the leaflets, we need you to get behind Helen, we need you to make your donations."

Cllr Ruth Hopkinson, who represents the Corsham Pickwick Division on Wiltshire Council, chaired the rally at St Margaret's Hall in Bradford on Avon last Wednesday, August 21.

Guest speaker, South West MEP Caroline Voaden, said: "There is going to be an General Election, there is going to be a vote of no confidence.

"Something is going to happen. I think it's very clear that this is what's coming. This is the moment that we change the direction of our country. That is going to take every single person in this room.

Miss Belcher said Lib Dem members need to be ready for the next General Election because the Tory government had a wafer thin majority.

She added: "We need feet on the ground and money in the account and members who do things."