Dear Reader,
I am often asked when I met people out and about in the constituency “What is a typical day like for you?” or “What do you do when you are not in Parliament?” So I have decided to write about a constituency day.
This particular Friday started with me dropping my son Tom at school and then heading straight to Harcourt House where I met with Andrew Pike, Chief Executive of the Primary Care Trust and other Essex MP’s. The meeting was an opportunity for the Primary Care Trust to update MP’s on a number of issues for them to ask the MP’s questions or raise any issues they may have.
I left this meeting and headed to B&Q. I was given a tour of the store and was shown the new demonstration area used to provide demonstrations to customers on a variety of basic to advanced DIY projects. I was shown the Trade section of the store which is used by trade customers both based locally and further afield. Finally I was informed about the initiative which sources wood from sustainable sources for any products sold at B&Q. There are over 16,000 products that use wood, from sheets of wood down to wallpaper and paintbrush handles.
I then went over to Asda and promoted their Tickled Pink Campaign. This was a particularly fun campaign with a very serious goal, raising awareness and funds for a very worthwhile cause. The store staff got involved and some dressed as fairies whilst others had various pink clothes and wigs on!
I headed over to the Civic Centre and met with Cllr Derek Jarvis, Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Culture and Tourism. Amongst other things we discussed the Essex Cricket Festival and the London 2012 Olympics.
From here I went to Thorpe Bay where I met with a reporter, photographer and local residents to discuss the proposed c2c investment programme at Thorpe Bay station and the adjoining property.