Even in this May’s fantastic local elections, the party only stood candidates in just over half the wards up for election.

ALDC has calculated that with more candidates, we would have made around 1,000 net gains in total rather than the 704 we secured.

Many local parties have made fabulous advances. But the sad truth is that there are still far too many areas where we have keen people who don’t yet have the skills and experience to build a winning team and elect Liberal Democrats.

ALDC’s brilliant Kickstart residential training weekends followed up by ALDC staff support have a proven record of helping keen new activists learn what is required to win – and then support them through to winning council seats.

It costs £500 to give a new activist an intensive training and mentoring programme over two Kickstart weekends, and support from ALDC staff and with all the range of ALDC templates and other services too.

Please donate whatever you can:

So here’s how you can help.

I’d like you to help me and other readers of Liberal Democrat Newswire raise £2,000 so ALDC can provide that support package to four new activists from four different areas that are without any Lib Dem councillors currently.

In areas where we’ve not yet started to grow and win, the costs of ALDC membership and going to Kickstart can be a major obstacle. With your help, we can remove that obstacle.

If we raise the money now, that support can kick in ready to help those four run winning council elections at the very next opportunity, next May.

Each £500 will provide another activist with the support package.

With your help, we can give activists a flying start to get the party winning in areas where we currently have no locally elected voice. Areas where we can start winning council seats. Areas where residents can benefit from our community campaigning.

Please help make this happen by donating now.

It’s the first time I’ve tried a special fundraising drive like this. As someone who regularly helps provide training at Kickstart, I’m really excited about getting that support to more people.