Happy 90th Birthday to her Majesty! How are you going to celebrate the Queens birthday?

Clean for the Queen is a great idea. I have already done sessions in Prudhoe tidying up, and have a series of further events planned for the summer. The courant did a great preview last week of the many events in Tynedale across the spring and summer in celebration of the Queens birthday

I am getting behind this campaign and have plans to do further litter picks in various places with schools and local voluntary organisations over the summer. It is a great idea and I urge you to get involved; if you need more information you can get more details here:http://www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk/home/2365

Northumberland sporting facilities affected by the floods can apply to @Sport_England Flood Relief Fund: www.sportengland.org/floodfund

I am writing to let you know how Sport England is joining the effort to support communities in Northumberland which have been affected by the recent flooding. There is a very detailed amount of advice to sports clubs that my office can send through or which is available direct from Sport England on their website or by calling 08458 508 508

People cleaning up and repairing sports pitches and facilities in areas damaged by Storm Desmond can apply for new National Lottery funding to help them get back up and running quickly.

Sport England has created a special £200,000 emergency flood relief fund to help restore pitches and repair sports facilities damaged by the rising water and gales. The funding is available to sports clubs, local authorities and other community sports organisations to help pay for emergency repairs to damaged facilities such as football, rugby and cricket pitches, water sports centres, pavilions, changing rooms and floodlights. Financial support can be provided in as little as three weeks. 

Sport isn’t a major priority when people’s lives, homes and businesses are at risk. But once communities are starting to get their lives back to normal, being able to use their local pitch or sports club as usual can make a real difference.  We have launched this fund quickly to help with clean up and repair costs, hopefully giving people affected by the floods one less thing to worry about.

I recommend that you go to the website: www.sportengland.org/floodfund
The application process has been designed to be as quick and simple as possible for applicants. The fund will remain open until 1 February 2016 (they will keep this date under review) to ensure that those who are currently unable to assess the damage will not lose out.
More information about Sport England’s Flood Relief Fund

The £200,000 emergency flood relief fund is to help restore pitches and repair sports facilities damaged by the rising water and gales. 

Work that will typically be funded includes:

• Grass pitch restoration
• Clubhouse decontamination and repairs
• Replacement of damaged/condemned electrical systems
• Steam cleaning, de-silting of drains.

Sport England launched a similar fund in early 2014 following the devastating floods that affected communities throughout England. Over 250 local sports facilities were helped, including Gloucester All Blues Rugby Football Club which used the funding to restore their clubhouse, Ashton on Mersey Cricket and Tennis Club which used their grant to complete roof and guttering repairs and Hull City Council which used the funding to restore playing fields in the city.

Dozens of new banks being set up as challengers force their way in

As the High Street Banks fade from the High Street, with some behaving shamefully as bully banks, I am delighted that new entrants are springing up. I am backing Atom Bank in the North East but we are also working really hard to support the existing Northumberland Credit Union and to expand community banking in Tynedale. In addition true Co-Operatives are still rightly supported in our communities and I do not believe that the disastrious exploits of Paul Flowers is stopping people committing to local community cooperatives and lending by local institutions not multinationals based hundreds of miles away where always the computer says no.

I recorded a piece for the BBC Look North yesterday on this issue and the papers are telling the story of the many new national and local banks springing up all over the country:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/10952024/FCA-Dozens-of-banks-spring-to-life-after-red-tape-cut.html

F40 - will it be fair?

Education Question 2 today at 2.30 - I am hoping to ask the SOS for guidance on whether all schools will be fairly treated so that all schools receive a leg up not just the chosen few, as decided by the County Council.

Northumberland County Council may move County Hall further east to Ashington

The decision in relation to County Hall is to be taken next week. If the result was the return of some services to Tynedale, and a better focus on the rural parts of the county, then many of my constituents would be very pleased.  However, the BBC reports that the proposal is to go further east to Ashington. The disconnect would actually get worse not better. More details on the story here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-26843925

Northumberland Schools Parliamentary debating Competition: Should we lower the voting age to 16?

Tomorrow the 4 high schools take each other on, hosted by Ponteland High School 
Starts at 6
Finishes at 7.30
Feel free to come along and support your local school, friends and community
My thanks to all the organisers, sponsors and those brave enough to take part!

High School Debate Competition in Ponteland this Thursday- Are you coming to support our brightest and best?

4 schools, 2 pupils per team, a brand new debating competition, one epic prize.... what more could you want?
This Thursday I am pleased to say that we are launching our first schools debating competition. It has taken a lot of work to organise, and my thanks to all the High School teachers who have enthusiastically signed up, Ponteland High School for hosting the event, all the star pupils who are performing, or coming to support, and former Ponteland pupil, Dan Brown, who now works in my London office, and who has done a lot of the legwork. Our thanks also to Egger, who have donated a great trophy - out of local Northumberland Egger Wood! It will put the Glitterball Trophy to shame.
It is not too late to come along and support your school and their chosen representatives in this clash of the debating titans. The event starts at Ponteland High School at 6.00 on Thursday. I will preview the topic and teams of speakers from Prudhoe, Haydon Bridge, Hexham and Ponteland later this week - I am hoping to spot the next Churchill: no pressure debate teams!! More seriously I am hoping that we create an enjoyable competition that stretches the local pupils, develops their advocacy and presentational skills, and shows them and us that our future stars are within our midst.

Pleased to have been reselected as the Candidate to run for MP in Hexham in 2015

The Courant has reported my reselection as follows:
"Guy Opperman, the former barrister and amateur jockey has been unanimously re-selected by Hexham Conservative Association as their prospective candidate to defend his 5,700 majority.

Since being elected in 2010, Mr Opperman has built up an enviable reputation as an energetic and committed MP who has visited and taken up issues in just about every town and village in his 1,000 square mile constituency. Speaking after his re-selection Mr Opperman said: “It has been a real honour to serve as Hexham’s local MP for the last four years.

“I hope I have tried to do things a little bit differently from the standard MP. I have tried my hardest to get stuck in, get my hands dirty and not be afraid to stand up for our community.”

He is proud of the fact that he has always been his own man and not afraid to oppose the Tory party line.
He said: “When the Government has got it wrong, like considering regional pay for the public sector, or selling off our forests, I have been the first to stand up and say so.

“I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I am certainly far from the perfect politician. I don’t always get it right. Sometimes I make the wrong call, and I know not everyone might agree with me on all the issues.”

Mr Opperman hit the national headlines in April 2011 when he collapsed in the House of Commons after suffering severe headaches and was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

He was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery and has now made a full a recovery.
He acknowledges his “incredible debt” to the National Health Service which saved his life and is a leading champion of the NHS in Parliament.

He continued: “ They say a week is a long time in politics; in which case, a year must be a lifetime. I hope over the next year, leading up to the election, I can work to continue to earn people’s votes, not as an MP they always agree with – or as an MP with all the answers – but as a local MP who always puts our area first and stands up for local people. That is why I am standing for re-election – to carry on that fight for our community and put local people first
Full report here:
http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/hexham-mp-will-run-for-re-election-after-vote-of-confidence-1.1116128

Tynedale diary and plans this weekend

Today I am visiting the Ponteland Medical Group, followed by meetings at the Hexham Fire Station, both to meet the local fire fighters and to discuss the possible move of the Fire Station to the Hospital with Alex Bennett, the Chief Fire Officer. I then have a meeting with Northumberland Credit Union, followed by a working dinner at the Excelsior Academy in Newcastle, in aid of Everest Expedition the school are coordinating.

Friday I am visiting the Tynedale Business Network to discuss the March Budget and what Local Businesses want the chancellor to do more to help us continue to grown  the Northumberland economy.
Then I have meetings with the Asian Business Connections and the MEP Martin Callanan, followed by lunch at the Beacon with Excelsior, Newcastle College and Newcastle University Students. In the Evening I have a meeting with the CCF locally in Stocksfield.

Saturday I am in Prudhoe for several meetings, and then will be knocking on doors, before further surgeries and meetings later in the afternoon.

Bonfire nights and Christmas fairs this weekend in Tynedale

There are a multitude of bonfire nights this coming weekend and one for everyone over the whole weekend with some villages having theirs on Friday, others like hexhamshire having theirs on Sunday whilst the bigger towns like Hexham are favouring Saturday night. Enjoy but be safe.
On Saturday there is a Christmas fair in wylam institute from 10-12.30. There is also a craft fair the same day in riding mill parish hall from 10-4.

Tynedale Point to Point

Guy Opperman riding Lowlander
What a day! For a long time I had agreed to ride in the local point to point, which is run at Downhills; this is walking distance from where I live in Aydon. A big crowd turned out. Fortunately we were in the first. Lowlander is a big rangy bay with a sweet nature and a love of life; however, he has been below form for 2 years, with ulcers and all manner of horsey ailments. Tim Read has done a great job getting him fit and well and he won best turned out in the paddock. For myself I made the weight and felt nervous as kitten beforehand: I have ridden many times but not before such a crowd as this.
We jumped off handy and missed the first, but after that we got into a great rhythm. We took the lead on the second circuit and were never headed.

Guy Opperman and Lowlander in the winners enclosure
After the race Richard Dodd had great fun as the announcer for the prize giving and there were smiles all round. Sushi [Lowlanders stable name] was fine although he had lost 2 shoes!