Matfen Summer Fete- Saturday 1st July

Saturday is the annual Matfen Summer Fete from 1pm-4pm on Matfen Village Green. Admission is free and it looks like it will be a great day, with cakes and scones in the village hall, a barbecue, beer tent and stalls and activities for all the family. Hexham Brass band will be providing entertainment, there will be a fire engine courtesy of the Fire service, and of course Matfen’s legendary plastic duck and model boat races will be taking place in the village stream. It is always a brilliant afternoon- when you are finished why not visit the Black Bull Inn in the village? I recommend it!

Corbridge Middle school visit

I visited Corbridge Middle School on Friday where I met with Head Jane Kennedy and Jo Holmes, Chair of Governors. The school is currently engaged in a consultation process to form the Tynedale Community Learning Trust with nine other schools in the Tyne Valley. Mrs Kennedy and Mrs Holmes were very excited about the opportunities that this will bring, and it was great to discuss their plans for their school and the future. 

Walk for Tynedale Hospice at Home

Congratulations to Kirk Barclay and Geoff Cant from Hexham who have walked 100 miles from Holy Island to Heavenfield, near Wark, for a wonderful cause. They have raised an incredible £3000 in aid of Tynedale Hospice at Home, which unlike a traditional hospice provides care to people in their own homes. The Tynedale Hospice at Home is a charity close to my heart, having raised money for it during my Hadrian’s Wall walk a few years ago. This was the first time they have completed such a challenge and it was a brilliant effort!

http://tynedalehospice.com

Wylam Summer Fair - a great community day out

Wylam Summer Fair is always a great success and I was pleased to be able to visit this year. The event is held annually to raise money for the Wylam Community Playing Fields Association to maintain and improve the sporting and leisure facilities on the Jubilee Field.full credit to all the organisers, and volunteers. 

As ever, the organisation was first class and Wylam put on a fantastic afternoon, with a bouncy castle, food stalls and a beer tent, as well as a tug of war competition and a men’s cake contest and stalls organised by many village groups. The entertainment, which included the Prudhoe Community Band, the Wylam Singers and Scottish Dancers, was enjoyed by all, and it was great to see people from all over the constituency get involved to make it a brilliant day.  Jam, herbs, plants and cakes were just a few of my purchases.

As always, it was great to meet and talk to so many members of the constituency whilst supporting a great community event.  

Armed Forces Day is tomorrow - a chance to show our support for all our troops

Armed Forces Day

Saturday 24^th June is Armed Forces Day, and events will be taking place all over the country to celebrate and show our support for everyone in the Armed Forces community. The Armed Forces, including our own Albemarle Barracks, do an excellent job protecting us and Saturday will be a great chance to show them and their families how much we appreciate them.

 https://www.armedforcesday.org.uk

Back in the old office in The House of Commons, Speaker chosen, and now sworn in. Computers unpacked and back to work

All MPs have to clear their offices when elections are called. Everything is packed away save what is on the walls, and the offices are shut down, computers surrendered, and with no access to MPs or for my 2 staff. The office is now fully reopened. My office is still between Keith Vaz and John Cruddas the 2 labour MPs in the old Norman Shaw building. Been in this office for several years. 

With the election over it's back to work in Westminster

There are only 2 MP's that can say they got married during their General Election campaign, and I suspect there are fewer still who can say they spent their honeymoon campaigning! I am in a select group of two with Clive Lewis, the labour MP for Norwich south.

General Elections in Hexham always require going the extra mile; knocking on thousands of doors, delivering leaflets, 3 hustings, and all across one of the biggest constituencies in the country. As any candidate will tell you, that comes along with early starts, lots of late nights, food on the go, and a car (and a house) that often finishes the campaign looking like a war zone.

Whilst all that goes on, the day to day of constituency casework and surgeries continue, and I want to thank my team, and the helpers, members, volunteers and Councillors who helped on the campaign.

Locally, I am pleased to have secured an increased percentage vote and the highest Conservative vote share since in Hexham since the 1950's.

With the election over it's now time to get back to work for the Hexham Constituency as your local Member of Parliament.