And so we have officially moved in to September! I hope that many of you will have made some great memories over the summer I will certainly be thinking of all of the great fun I had locally with my girls. Good luck to all going back to school. Teachers thank you!
Some people that I know will have had a lot of fun last week are the lucky people that went along to the England vs. India Test Match as the Ageas Bowl. I was gutted not to make it along this time, instead prepping for a busy week in Westminster and attending constituency events! Nevertheless, I recognise just how lucky we are to have this great facility in our area, and while the traffic can at times be challenging – as I again found out on Friday! - the vast majority of the people I speak to love having the buzz of the match so close to home. I understand that Sunday was not only a good day for our cricketers, but also for the ladies from Eastleigh Football Club who won 2-0 against Alton…congrats!
I did try and be a little bit active myself joining Town Councillor for Hedge End, Jerry Hall, for a fundraiser towards the QE2 Activity Centre at Manor Farm. This brilliant organisation offers a whole range of activities including canoeing, motor boating, ropes course, zipwire, walking, climbing and archery. I had a ball taking part in all the activities in support of this fantastic venue and meeting the lovely ladies managing the book stall – I can’t wait to have time to do all that leisure!
On Friday last week it was great to welcome Minister Guy Opperman MP to Eastleigh and introduce him to all of the dedicated DWP staff at the towns Job Centre Plus. This was a great forum to discuss universal credit and its positive impact on UK jobs and housing. Supporting a steady job market in Eastleigh is a high priority me. The local staff work tirelessly to ensure constituents are getting the best support with universal credit being one of the many positive changes to support people. My thanks again to them all!
The following day I said a final goodbye, along with so many, to Eastleigh’s finest gentleman, Norman Brown MBE. His memorial was a really wonderful, touching ceremony blessed with sunshine. On top of being an avid local fundraiser, raising over 1 million pounds for the Poppy Legion, his community work will always be remembered throughout Eastleigh and beyond. Thank you for everything Norman.
Returning to Westminster this week, there are already a lot of positive movements happening in Government. This includes the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, announcing plans to crack down on child abuse using tech companies. It is now estimated that there are 80,000 people in the UK who present a sexual threat to children online. This is very concerning but it is great to see the government adapting to the new age of technology, especially with so many of our vulnerable young children becoming more tech savvy.
Meanwhile, I am myself fully prepped for a busy week ahead in Westminster with the Select Committee and other Whip and Ministerial duties! I’m particularly looking forward to the end of this week when I’ll be heading to Eastleigh’s Fair Oak Library on Saturday to hold a drop in surgery. I’ll be joined by Councillor Steven Broomfield and representatives from Hampshire Police from 10 – 11:30 am.
Wishing you all an enjoyable week!