Another month is over, and what a busy month it has been! I have been able to spend time in the Hexham constituency this month, and have really enjoyed being able to make the most of the opportunity to meet and speak with so many people and businesses who really are at the heart of our local communities.
I have to begin with the brilliant news that Haltwhistle’s schools are set to benefit from an incredible multi-million pound investment by Northumberland County Council. I recently visited the middle school at Haltwhistle Community Campus to meet with head teacher Susie Drake, as well as representatives from the WISE Academy and County Cllr Ian Hutchinson, and it was fantastic to hear all about their plans for the school. The building is set to be revamped to the highest quality, with the aim of providing the best education for future generations- the future is bright for education in Haltwhistle!
EGGER is one of the Hexham constituency’s biggest employers, so I was delighted to be able to welcome Energy Minister Claire Perry to the business and to show off what a great local employer it is. We spoke to the Minister about why forestry is so key to EGGER’s business and specifically about how we can improve the supply of timber. I have no doubt that the Minister was impressed by EGGER- just one example of the brilliant employers we have in our constituency.
This month I visited Karbon Homes’ new site in Hexham, where 38 new high quality and affordable apartments are being built by local builders. The homes look like they will be very impressive when finished, and I was especially pleased to see that the project is providing jobs for local people in Tynedale, with some builders on the site living just around the corner! I look forward to returning when the homes are completed.
I am passionate about making sure that children love to read, so this month’s World Book Day marked a brilliant opportunity to encourage schools and families to share a story with their children and ignite a passion for reading. I am so pleased to have been able to support the event.
Finally, this month I have decided to give up single-use plastics for Lent. In this country every year 3.4 billion single-use plastic bags are given out by businesses and we use 4.7 billion plastic straws per year. If we are serious about reducing plastic pollution however, we all must act, so I would like to encourage you all to cut down on single-use plastics, shop locally and help pick up litter in your local area this Lent. If we all act together, we really can make a huge difference to our planet!