Barking and Somersham is, in geographic terms, quite a big place. The seven villages are pretty distinct, with chunks of arable farmland dividing them. And, over the short period of the by-election campaign, I've already developed a pretty good sense of where things are.
That's helped by the fact that there aren't too many roads. There are, however, lots of outliers, i.e. houses beyond the prime settlement limits of each village. They tend not to get too much attention between elections, as the effort/reward ratio is seen as too great, i.e. you spend a lot of time getting to them, whereas in the heart of a village like Somersham, you can knock on a lot of doors covering less distance to do so.
And yet, as Ros has always noted, the very fact that you've made the effort to knock on their door earns you, at the very least, a little respect. They don't expect people to knock on their door, or deliver a leaflet, exactly because they're a bit remote.
If you have telephone numbers, you can of course call them, and when time is short, and you value volume over quality time, it is the safest option. But, if time wasn't an object, I'd prefer to talk to people face to face. It suits my personality and, given that I find people interesting in themselves, gives me a chance to find out more about them.
It is, if you like, something to consider if I am fortunate enough to be elected on 2 June...
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