I recently had the pleasure of welcoming the former Education Secretary Justine Greening to the Hexham constituency as part of her work founding the Social Mobility Pledge. Ms Greening spoke with students at Prudhoe Community High School about her own background growing up in Rotherham and the opportunities and chances that are available to them. We also visited local business Thompsons of Prudhoe, who recently became the first Social Mobility Pledge accredited employer in the Hexham constituency. By signing the pledge, businesses like Thompsons commit to work towards improving social mobility by accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds. Businesses like Thompsons are key to tackling social mobility in our area and helping to connect young people with the opportunities already on their doorstep. I was delighted to welcome Justine to our constituency, and I hope that her visit will encourage other local businesses to join Thompsons and sign up to the Social Mobility Pledge.
