This week has been an excellent reminder of the brilliant work charities do in our community, with a number of national charities with local representation here in Westminster.
I was particularly pleased to see Maggie's in Parliament championing the work they do on behalf of people living with cancer. We have a fantastic Maggie's in Southampton and I still vividly remember my visit there last year and the opportunity I had to talk to the men's support group. I know an effective screening programme for prostate cancer remains a massive priority.
I also attended a brilliant event hosted by the British Heart Foundation, and other charities working on cardiovascular disease, specifically focused on the availability of defibrillators. I know how lucky we are in the wider Romsey area to have a good number of publicly accessible defibrillators but of course there is always scope for more.
The big political news of the week was Monday's announcement around a ban on social media for under 16s. I know how many of my constituents have raised this issue with me, driven by genuine concern for young people growing up in a digital world. Parents, grandparents and teachers have welcomed the government's announcement but we will, of course, have to scrutinise what the final proposals actually look like
Last weekend's One Romsey festival was a joyous celebration of diversity and inclusion in our area. I give full credit to last year's Mayor Russell Theron for having introduced this event to our annual calendar. I was particularly pleased to talk to a number of Ukrainian residence living in our town and it is always a delight to sample their traditional baking!