Labour party members in Farnham & Bordon are feeling confident about the future after celebrating a successful first year at a milestone meeting.

While they didn’t claim the historic election victory touted in June, the FAB Labour Party insist they have plenty to feel proud about over the last 12 months.

The group was founded a year ago as a result of electoral boundary changes and the creation of the Farnham and Bordon constituency.

Their vice-chair, Shirley Lewis, commended the group at their Annual General Meeting for their achievements from a standing start.

They included the successful establishment of a “strong, active party structure” within the new constituency and the raising of Labour’s profile around the patch through campaigning and local engagement.

They also “provided a voice for more than 7,300 voters” in an “enormously successful” general election campaign in which Alex Just finished third, and who also impressed in hustings at the Phoenix and Farnham Maltings.

The group also supported their counterparts in other constituencies with the election of Labour MP Alex Baker in Aldershot being a notable landmark.

Elsewhere at the meeting, John Gaskell was re-elected as chair of the party while long-standing, retiring activists, Dave Shurlock and Peter Conoboy, were presented with awards to thank them for their service as secretary and treasurer, respectively.

Their focus for the next year will be the local elections in May and campaigning in the community to ensure the “benefits of the new Labour government reach the residents of Farnham and Bordon.”