Politics is about so much more than just the major stories that make newspaper headlines. Indeed, the most important part of my job as a Member of Parliament is engaging with local people and communities on the issues that matter to them, regardless of age.
On this note, it was fantastic to see the engagement from pupils in Class 2 Honeybees at Holy Family RC Primary School when I met with them to discuss their efforts to reduce the amount of dog muck left in local parks and playgrounds.
Adopting the slogan “They poop it, you scoop it”, children from the school wrote to me and have created posters to push for tougher fines and limits on the areas where dogs can be off their leads. Their hard work needs to bring about results and I will be following this up with Fylde Council and Freckleton Parish Council to demand action.
It is key that education goes beyond the classroom and the Duke of Edinburgh award is a fantastic and enriching experience, helping create well rounded young people ready for adult life, a point I discussed when meeting with The Duke of Edinburgh award team.
This year has saw an impressive 462 young people from Fylde starting the Award. This is a positive start, but I want to see more young people participating in the program, giving back to our community as volunteers and getting involved expeditions and other physical activities. Many people first get involved via school or youth organisations and I am keen to assist teachers or leaders in learning more about the scheme and the benefits it offers.
As I mentioned last week, BAE systems are a fantastic provider of local opportunities for young people. Having visited the new Academy for Skills & Knowledge at Salmesbury last week, I had the privilege of following this up at the BAE Systems Parliamentary summer event, speaking with Chief Executive Charles Woodburn and Warton based apprentices. BAE’s passion for investing in young people is clear, spending around £100m on education, skills and early job opportunities annually, money which last year saw 600 young people join the company across apprenticeship, training and graduate opportunities here in Lancashire.
It was wonderful to be at St Annes Carnival this weekend, with the town showing out in force for what I am told is the largest carnival in 40 years. After the main parade the celebrations carried on in Ashton Gardens, where the new Carnival Queen Amelie-Marie Bulmer was crowned as part of a wonderful afternoon of entertainment that saw a host of local acts take to the stage for singing and dance performances.
I want to thank the volunteers who gave up their free time, ensuring the event ran smoothly and raising money for some great charities, with over £3,000 raised for the Alzheimer’s society in the last 12 months and the Rosemere Cancer Foundation being the chosen charity for the coming year.