I was thrilled to join HRH Duchess of Edinburgh at Ardingly Showground for the annual Jim Green Challenge alongside WSCC Chairman, Cllr Pete Bradbury, and youngsters from across our area. Its an annual competition for students with mild moderate learning difficulties in the Southeast. 120 students and young adults come together from Kent, Sussex, and Surrey. A huge congratulations to Woodlands Meed from Burgess Hill for winning 2 prizes and Plumpton College on winning a category too with Brinsbury the overall winner.
14th March was World Kidney Day - I was pleased to raise awareness of NHS Blood and Transplant's campaign - as there’s over 5,500 waiting for a kidney transplant in the UK, including over 100 children.
I joined the Govia Thameslink meeting in Westminster with their CEO. I ensured residents of Mid Sussex were very much heard and their complaints voiced, particularly regarding the ongoing lack of reliable commuter services at East Grinstead train station and too few late-night trains for those at shows and events, plus a pathetic one train an hour on the off peak to the capital-as well some missing morning services from Balcombe.
I was pleased to attend our excellent Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne OBE’s Tackling Shoplifting and Retail Crime Breakfast in Westminster. I was reassured to hear about the work happening locally on the antisocial behaviour, retail and rural crime and how we can be assured of better protection for our residents and businesses both rurally and in our high streets and villages.
This week I’m proudly hosting my Parliamentary Reception ‘A Taste From Across Mid Sussex’ providing hard-working local producers a chance to showcase their amazing products in Parliament. More on this next week.
I’ll shortly be hosting my 1st large Q&A event for all Mid Sussex residents to join. I’m hosting various events and drop in’s as the local MP to give as many local residents the opportunity to raise key matters they care about. Register via Eventbrite on my website under Local News. This is in addition to my usual visits, surgeries, Parliamentary meetings, and constituency visits.