As it’s half-term week, it was fitting that I started the week by attending  a session of Worcester’s Free Half Term Multi-Sports Activities with the city council’s Sport, Art and Play Development Team providing a whole week of activities for two-18-year-olds across the city.  It was wonderful to see the one at Warndon Youth & Community Centre with council staff and youthful volunteers from, for example, the University engaging with the children in a range of physical games. It is so true that what most children really want and need is time and attention from their parents and others. Getting this physical activity is so important. It makes you feel alive and, by being occupied, keeps the youngsters out of trouble. Instead of sitting in rooms with headphones on glued to some computer screen, come on Worcester youth – live a little and enjoy it.

It was a real pleasure to officially open such a worthwhile event as the three-day open house at the Love Your Home Shop in Crowngate. This is a one-stop-shop where all the community partners such as health, fire, police, Neighbourhood Watch, Crimestoppers, and Trading Standards are available for the public to pop in and get help and advice. What a wonderful idea to be able to talk to somebody face to face – and what lovely smiling helpful faces they were too!

Never forgetting the need to look after my constituents, I visited a lady on Windermere Drive to try and sort out a highways problem she has had to put up with. How rewarding it was to have found a solution that she is happy with.

I was proud and honoured to have represented Worcester at the Mercian Regiment’s Freedom of the District Parade in Bromsgrove and mingle with the troops afterwards. Good to see that the troops’ plates at the reception were even fuller than mine, although I was just a bit surprised (and concerned) that there was an enormous number of cans of beer left unopened at the reception – and they were all free!