The polls got it wrong. There is something a little bit more important than economics called democracy and freedom.

This wonderful country of ours has taken the first step to restore self governance, without interference from an arrogant unelected elite in Brussels. Grassroots anger came, not from the well-educated and secure, but from ordinary hard working folk in the heartlands of England and Wales, the marginalised, the forgotten and ignored people, my people, proud of working class backgrounds and housing estates, undeserving of austerity, asking for more room to live and an end to political betrayal and pretence.

I stood with the Leave Teams on the streets of Workington, Cockermouth, Carlisle and Liverpool; met some amazing young people from Spain and Italy, disarmingly friendly but bemused by my Vote Leave stance.

Meeting them, I realised why I despised so much Brussel's scandalous waste of our resources - in front of me stood the youth of Europe, their families facing unredeemable debt and 47per cent unemployment, ruined by people who refuse to tighten their own belts.

On June 23 we despaired that Project Fear would win the day. Our country's sovereignty risked being lost forever? I even had a song to sing in case it did.

Instead we declared Independence Day. Project Hope has arrived, inspiring us to heal the differences that exist between friends and family who voted Remain, we need each other's strength, we can only do it together.

We live in an amazingly open and tolerant Country. Global markets are already attracted to us. Newly 'independent' we have endless opportunities to re-write our relationship not only with our European neighbours but the whole global race.

R Hall

Cockermouth