Here in London, we’ve already started working towards the local and European elections in 2014.

Last weekend it was great to see 52 activists attend a Regional Action Day in Sarah Teather’s constituency in Brent, so soon after a disappointing set of results in the capital in May.

Aside from giving a boost to our fantastic hard-working teams across the capital, Regional Action Days are designed to give activists the chance to exchange ideas and learn new skills.

In Brent last weekend, Sarah Teather MP, Baroness Sue Garden and our newest London Assembly Member, Stephen Knight, were joined by a large range of helpers, several of whom were relatively new to the party, and some who hadn’t been door knocking or recruiting previously.

We were out recruiting for members and deliverers in Dollis Hill, where we successfully defended a local council by-election against Labour in Ken Livingstone’s back yard back in March. The support for our by election victor Alison Hopkins and for Sarah Teather MP meant that we were able to recruit five new deliverers, two new members, and three new clerical helpers, as well as picking up several other leads and receiving four donations!

We also managed to survey an entire ward elsewhere in Sarah’s constituency, before coming back to help ourselves to one of the Brent team’s famous curries to swap stories and share ideas about campaigning.

People travelled from across London to help, including members from:  Brondesbury Park, Camberwell and Peckham, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Putney, Sutton, Twickenham and Richmond, Barnet, Streatham, Ealing Borough, Camden and Barnet.

A special mention should be given for Camden, who sent the largest group, and London Liberal Youth, who yet again, brought a sizeable contingent.

We are under no illusions that the local and European elections in 2014 are going to be a hard fight. However with the right campaigns built around local community champions, we are confident that we can make them a success.

All this will require a lot of work on the ground, which is why these Regional Action Days are so important for giving our local teams a boost.

So if you want to pick up some campaigning tips, why not look out for the next action day in your area? The next one you can register for is in Berwick, and you can find more information here.

* Chris Butler is the London Liberal Democrats Campaign Manager.