LAST weekend I attended a number of constituency events locally.  On Saturday evening it was a pleasure to attend a dinner in honour of St George held in my local Masonic Hall in Millbrook.  It was great to see so many people at this fundraising event and the traditional roast beef was fantastically produced by Julie Elworthy and her team of caterers.  It was interesting to learn a bit about the history of St George and how he was actually born of Cappadocian Greek origin which at the time was part of the Roman Empire and is in modern day Turkey.  He became a Roman soldier in the Praetorian guard but was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.  I would like to thank all those involved in organising this occasion.

On Sunday it was a pleasure to attend the Saltash Town Council Civic Service at the Saltash Baptist Church.  The service was conducted by the Mayor’s Chaplain Rev Tim Parkman.  The event allowed the Mayor Richard Bickford an opportunity to ward many of the people of Saltash Civic Awards for their good service throughout the year.  Awards included contributions to the community and to mark the achievements of others.  I would particularly like congratulate Bill Dent on his work with the Royal British Legion and Bob Austin on his Freedom of Saltash award.  

After the Civic Service I attended thecModel Railway Exhibition being held at Isambard House at Saltash Station.  The event included a number of excellent model layouts and a display of pictures of trains by the Saltash Camera Club. Refreshments were supplied by Saltash Rotary.  It was good to see so many experts on hand to inspire those wishing to start their own displays.

Over the weekend I was also out in both Torpoint and Polruan.  It was good to talk to many people about their concerns and should you wish to contact me you can contact my Liskeard office on 01579 344428 or email me directly on [email protected]

In Parliament last week at Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee it was a pleasure to note the Ministerial direction on the Pollack compensation scheme.  This is something that I, along with colleagues from the South West, have been campaigning for.

In Parliament I also met with the Defence Secretary Grant Shapps which provided an opportunity to discuss current defence issues around the world.  There are many areas of concern at the moment including Ukraine, the Middle East and Taiwan.  I know that many people are concerned about these issues and I welcome contact from constituents about these so that I can pass them to those in charge.

I also met with Nigel Blackler from Peninsula Transport. Peninsula Transport’s stated aim is to “transform transport across the peninsula, enabling our society and economy to thrive and our unique and outstanding environment to flourish”. One of the issues discussed was the Tamar Tolls.  I would like to thank everyone who signed the petition for no increase this year.