Mike Rouse is the Co-Chair of Rachel Maclean's campaign. He moved to Redditch in 2011 to be with his wife, who was born here.
They have since had two daughters - the first born at the Alex, the second born at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Mike runs a small business in the town and his wife works in childcare locally. They all live in Church Hill South.
When I moved to Redditch around six years' ago it took me a while to get used to things around here. One day I headed off for Sainsbury's, took a wrong exit and ended up at B&Q instead. I decided at that point to figure out how the town is laid out, and the best way to do that was to just drive around and go for walks.
Before long, it became clear: Redditch is a beautiful place.
I discovered Tony Green's amazing website 'Redditch Walks', the Redditch Local History Society's various works on their website and their Facebook page, and I've also got an amazing respect for the Church Hill Big Local Partnership who have achieved some magnificent things in a short space of time.
But what has touched me most about Redditch is the people.
Let's not beat about the bush - Redditch people are tough, industrious and they have a wicked sense of humour. But above all, I've found the people of Redditch to be amongst the kindest and most welcoming people I've ever met.
I know this is true across the board, because if you look at the businesses we have got based in Redditch you can see it's a town with a lot of skilled labour coming in.
From the Lear Corporation and Swisslog to Gymshark; from Halfords to Oaklands International*, Redditch has a diverse population of workers who contribute to our local economy by paying their business rates and paying people a good wage for an honest day's work.
If you look at the role Redditch has played in the Syrian crisis you can see a town that does not shy from welcoming people in with open arms.
It cannot be right then that Redditch shuns 'outsiders'. It is not Coventry, where I originally come from. My home town is famous for people being 'sent to Coventry', meaning they'd be shunned by the locals. No, that's not what I have found here in Redditch. This town is not that backwards and and closed-down.
I believe in a Redditch that welcomes the right people, with the right skills to come and do the jobs that will take our area forwards.
Rachel has an outstanding set of skills and experiences that will be a direct benefit to Redditch. She is a breath of fresh air for our area, and is already bringing in a new era of openness and engagement with the the local community, especially on Facebook where our volunteers are allowed to interact with voters on the campaign's Facebook page.
Rachel has also been very clear: if we elect her on June the 8th she will make her home here.
That is more than can be said for someone who has huge influence over our day-to-day lives here in Redditch already: the Labour Party's leader of Redditch Borough Council, and my own local councillor, Bill Hartnett.
I've never met Bill. He's never knocked on my door in Church Hill South and I don't recall ever getting a leaflet from him. But I still respect him. I still welcome him as a political representative of the people, an employer in Redditch and a stalwart of the Labour movement for many years.
On the 27th of March, shortly after Khalid Masood carried out a terrorist attack in Westminster in which PC Keith Palmer was murdered, Bill Hartnett said, 'we are not afraid', as flags were lowered in our town. He added:
"This act of terrorism will not stop the work of those of us who will continue to fight for a world of equality, diversity and inclusion of all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality or political standing.
"United we stand strong, we cannot let fear dictate our lifestyle or make us hide away."
I agree with Bill. Nothing, not even terrorism, will stop us working for a world of equality where a woman from outside the area is just as welcome to represent the people of that area, just as the man who runs the council is welcomed from his home outside the area.
I today call on the Labour Party in Redditch to stand in the best traditions of their party, to heed the words of their council leader, and to stop thinking of the people of Redditch as an unwelcoming, hostile and intolerant people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Let's stand against intolerance in all its forms - even towards someone who only lives 10 minutes up the road. Rachel understands our issues, she can - and she will - fight for all of us, even those who won't vote for her. She is the breath of fresh air that Redditch needs after a turbulent time.
I for one will walk to the polling station on June the 8th with hope for our town's future, optimism for the change of approach that Rachel will bring, and I will welcome Rachel to our town safe in the knowledge that she is by far and away the best-skilled person for the job by a country mile.
I ask you to join me on that day and together let's show the whole country that Redditch is open. Open for business, open for families and open for a brighter future. Let us all be the voice of welcoming tolerance.
Notes:
* Oaklands International. I know Oaklands is located just outside the current boundaries for Redditch County Constituency, but if proposed boundary changes go through in the next Parliament the business will fall within the county constituency's borders. I am sure the hundreds of people they employ from Redditch will not consider Oaklands to have been 'parachuted in'. We will welcome them, their many jobs and their continued contribution to our local economy.