As of 7 January 2013, Sarah will be using a new blog, found at:
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Friday, 4 January 2013
New Year Honours for Cornish people
I am delighted to see that Cornish people have been recognised in the New Year Honours list for a wide variety of contributions to their communities and to Great Britain as a whole
Thursday, 3 January 2013
New project for force veterans begins in Cornwall
I am pleased to see that the Cornish charity Surf Action has launched a new project to help unemployed veterans secure jobs.
'Gangnam' policemen spotted in Falmouth
I was pleased to see Falmouth police officers raising funds for an excellent initiative while off-duty through the medium of a Gangnam Style dance in Events Square in Falmouth.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Christmas 2012 Wrapathon
Most of what we have consumed over the past few days arrived onto our shores by sea. Many of the ships are crewed by people working in difficult conditions, far from home for long periods of time. So thank you to Jackie Phillips, John Pinhay, Josie Bee, Penny Phillips , Mary Bradley, Lyn Veale , Pat Pinhay, Elizabeth Bee, Reverend Jon Robertshaw and Glynis Hoyle, who donated, wrapped and delivered 119 Christmas presents to the ships harbouring in the bay and nearby this Christmas.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
West Briton Column 20 December 2012
Despite my good intentions for planning ahead, I expect you'll see me doing last minute shopping in the last few days before Christmas. Like many people, I like to buy as much as I can for my family from local producers and thoroughly appreciate the huge increase in the range and quality of food and drink produced in Cornwall. A third of jobs in Cornwall are related to food and drink. The seasonal food festivals, markets and recent Truro Fatstock Show do a great job of connecting local people with our local farmers and food producers. This is important not only for the local economy but to remind us this important part of Cornwall's life.
While perhaps better known for our fruit and vegetable farming, seeing the lovingly cared for beasts at the Fatstock Show also reminds us of the very high standards of animal welfare and husbandry we are rightly proud of in our country. Standards that if necessary are enforced. When I learned from my colleague the MP for South Thanet of the horrors of live animal exports from UK ports, I was determined to bring this iniquitous trade to the Government’s attention.
Under current EU regulations living animals can be exported from their country of origin to slaughter in another EU country. Such journeys cause terrible distress to the animals involved. Loaded into confined and poorly ventilated spaces, jolted during long hours of travel and often transferred to unsafe holding pens at ports, animals are put under immense stress and sometimes die en-route.
Last week I presented a petition signed by over five hundred Truro and Falmouth residents to Parliament calling on the House of Commons to ban live animal exports.
I am pleased by the Government’s robust response to my petition and the subsequent debate held on this issue. The Farming Minister has promised to review the regulations governing live animal exports from UK ports, and has stated the Government’s commitment to ensuring that animals are slaughtered as near as possible to their point of origin.
This commitment is crucial if we are to make real progress in securing better welfare for all farm animals. We can all play our part in supporting local producers. In Cornwall we have farmers who produce top-quality meat and care passionately about the welfare of their animals. By buying local meat we support these farmers and their welfare first approach, help the local economy, and ensure that animals going to slaughter are not subject to long and stressful journeys.
I am grateful to all the Truro and Falmouth residents who took the time to circulate and complete my petition to ban live animal exports, I will continue to pursue this and other animal welfare issues in Parliament. Defending and extending the UK’s high standards of animal welfare is an important part of my work as an MP.
Finally, I would like to thank all those constituents who have contacted me over the past year, and wish you a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Happy 2013.
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Truro City FC takeover deal finalised
I am pleased to see this news, which signifies a new era and fresh start for Truro City Football Club
European funding allocated to Cornwall
I am pleased to see additional funding from the European Social Fund allocated to help those who are long-term unemployed back into the work place
Monday, 17 December 2012
Citizenship for Life meets success in Cornwall
I am pleased to see the success of the Citizenship for Life programme, which pupils from my constituency participated in:
The Space in Penryn
I was privileged to observe some the excellent work that the volunteers, supported by Jobcentre Plus and local business, carried out to transform The Space:
Local shopping highlighted in Falmouth
The ‘Shop local, think Falmouth’ initiative, designed to highlight the benefits of shopping in Falmouth, is a great initiative:
Friday, 14 December 2012
Penryn shop wins Cornwall Life Food and Drink award
I am
delighted to see that Bailey’s Country Store in Penryn has been named the best food shop at the Cornwall Life
Food and Drink Awards.
Falmouth Sketch Club
As part of the Community Alive Falmouth network, Sketch Club, is a great place for practising artists to drop in and hone their skills
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Biggest quarterly fall in unemployment since 2001
Figures just released by the Office
for National Statistics show the biggest quarterly fall in unemployment since
2001.
West Briton Column 13 December 2012
Last week’s Autumn Statement saw the Chancellor reaffirm the Government’s commitment to taking the hard decisions necessary to secure a prosperous future for Britain. To ensure this prosperity we need to lead people out of poverty, through education and employment.
This is why the Government is investing in education for people of all ages. In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced over £1billion to fund the building of over a hundred new schools and the expansion of hundreds of existing schools. A further £270million will be invested in further education.
Last month I was able to see firsthand what a difference education can make to the lives of people of all ages as I attended Cornwall College’s graduation ceremony. Many of the local students I saw collecting their first degrees were people who had careers and families and then returned to education later in life. From next year, older students will be helped by recent reforms which means that mature students can access student financing that covers both further education and higher education courses.
Of course academic subjects are only part of the picture; the Government has also made it easier for people of all ages to acquire vocational skills. £1.5 billion is being spent on increasing the number of apprenticeships available whilst benefit changes mean that jobseekers can undertake work experience whilst receiving benefits, allowing them to gain vital workplace skills while seeking employment. More help has also been made available for small businesses and for people looking to set up new businesses.
The Autumn Statement detailed a range of measures to further boost the push for job creation which has already seen over 1.2million new jobs created in the private sector since May 2010. We are seeing the effects of this in Truro and Falmouth; over the past year there has been a steady increase in the vacancies registered at local Jobcentres. Hundreds of jobs have now been secured at Falmouth Docks as a result of the Ministry of Defence’s decision to extend the Shipyard’s contract to support the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) flotilla.
It is of course essential that, whilst we help as many people as possible into education and work, we continue to look after those who need financial support. Disability benefits will be increased next year, as will the basic state pension, which is set for an above inflation rise of 2.5% next April.
Hard-pressed family budgets across Truro and Falmouth will also see some relief, with tax changes meaning that over two million people on modest incomes in the South West will see their tax bill fall next year. Thanks to the Government listening to the concerns colleagues and I voiced, next year’s planned fuel duty rise will be scrapped.
To lay the foundations for a prosperous future we need to invest in people, to support them through the difficult times and to help them realise their potential through education and employment. If we are to build a future fit for our children to inherit, this work must continue.
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Red Cross launches new service for fire and flood victims
This new Red
Cross service, recently launched in Falmouth, is an excellent initiative
Truro and Falmouth success in Cornish award ceremony
I am
delighted to see the success that businesses from my constituency have enjoyed
in the Cornwall Sustainability Awards that were recently held in Falmouth
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Darzona Kernow
The Darzona Kernow fund was set up in 2010 to raise money to provide disability aids for children in local authority foster care in Cornwall.
A child in need of funding who lives with their parents has the option to campaign publicly through the media or similar to raise any additional funds needed for disability aids, but with foster children, due to often difficult circumstances, this is not the case. Darzona Kernow has been raising money for this purpose since 2010 and is now close to raising the amount needed to purchase an all-terrain wheelchair for one of the children.
Any Christmas donations would really help towards Darzona Kernow meeting their target, you can see more about Darzona Kernow, and make a donation via the link below:
Western Greyhound and Cornwall Council bus subsidy deal
This deal between Western Greyhound and Cornwall Council to subsidise concessionary passengers is welcome news
Monday, 10 December 2012
Falmouth firm wins international award
I am delighted to see that Mojo Maritime, based in Falmouth, has again win awards at the annual International Tidal Energy Summit, held in November.
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