To kick off the new year, I was delighted to spend the afternoon at Preston Park, home to Harefield United Football Club, where I watched their first team match of 2022 against Flackwell Heath. Despite the score line sadly going against the Hares, it was great to see such enthusiasm at a great local club and to see the vital role Harefield and other local grassroots teams play within our community.

Following the visit, I took the opportunity to raise the issue of grassroots sports clubs not being able to access excellent sporting facilities within schools at DCMS Questions during my first week back in the chamber. I was pleased to receive assurances from the Minister that his Department has been working with the Department for Education and plans are in place to ensure the wider use of school facilities for sporting activities, and I know this positive news will be welcomed by many local sports clubs in the Hillingdon and Harrow Boroughs.

Lastly, I welcome the new year with a renewed sense of optimism and hopefulness with regards to our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, following a festive period that looked very different to that of last year. Whilst the weeks ahead may be challenging and it is right that we remain cautious, I share the Prime Minister’s confidence that England should be able to ‘ride out’ the omicron variant, thanks to the success of our booster programme and introduction of Plan B measures in December.

With that in mind, my plan is to continue to hold surgeries around the constituency over the coming months, so please do get in touch should you require my support in any way.

First published: My Local News, January 2022