With carnival season now in full swing, it is a phenomenally busy time in Fylde.
I walked in the Lytham Club Day Parade and also attended the Club Day Family Service on Sunday, before heading to Lytham Green to see the classic cars on display. There were thousands of people out and about. Our shops were packed, our restaurants and cafes full to the brim.
These galas and events are not only a continuation of an historic tradition, they are also vital in boosting the viability of our towns and villages.
In Parliament, I signed a letter calling for a Shared Rural Network which aims to help extend coverage to the hardest to reach areas. All four Mobile Network Operators support this proposal and we hope we will soon see 100 per cent coverage across the UK. I support any move that will help improve phone and internet coverage in Fylde- we still have a couple of areas which have low speeds and poor reception.
I saw the phenomenal investment made in the Eagle at Weeton last week and met the team behind this pub’s startling transformation.
Just shy of £1 million has been spent modernising this pub, turning it into not only a fantastic dining venue, but also a community hub, complete with a shop which sells the bare essentials for villagers.
I also met some of the staff in the pub and the passion on display from all those involved in the project was commendable.
It is a fantastic venue which has also created around 40 jobs in the process – I hope you all take time to visit in the near future.
I was also delighted to visit Freckleton Church of England School to meet teacher Neil Kenyon and hear about him being accepted into the UK Parliament Teachers’ Institute to train as a Parliamentary ambassador.
Mr Kenyon has visited Parliament several times with children from the school and it’s great to see our young people getting more involved and interested in politics and democracy. I gave Mr Kenyon my congratulations as well on his recent appointment as the school’s permanent deputy headteacher.
Should any schools be interested in an official visit to Parliament, Parliament will pay for three-quarters of the travel costs from Fylde – contact my office for the details.
On my travels I was also able to pop in and see the team at Happy Days Nursery in Ansdell to celebrate the childcare firm’s 20 years of operation.
Before heading back to Parliament on Monday, I was able to attend the Town Hall to see Colonel Rosie Stone DL will presenting the Mayor of Fylde with an Armed Forces Flag. The Town Hall keeper raised the flag to mark Armed Forces Week.