Last
week, it was good to catch up with various projects in and around the
constituency.
Early
Friday morning I met children from Portreath School who were going to clean up
litter at Portreath Beach. It was great to be joined by so many enthusiastic
children willing to give up their time and help clean up the beach, helping to
raise awareness about the threat that rubbish poses to the marine environment.
Next
on the agenda was a meeting with the Council where we talked through the issues
affecting people throughout Cornwall. From planning and development to
healthcare and funding arrangements, it was good to catch up with Council
Officers and raise individual cases and concerns that I had. Following this I
attended a Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group meeting. I regularly meet the
Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group, and most recently I asked the KCCG about
funding for children and adolescents funding helping to ensure that we have the
right provisions in place to care for those who are most vulnerable.
In
the afternoon I took time out to visit Mary Anson of Anson Care Services at
Tremethick House. Mary has always done great work in helping provide a safe and
caring environment for the elderly, and it was great to find out more about the
work being done by her company. How we support people in need of adult social
care is a growing dilemma, and creative thinking is needed. As more people
live longer, more need help as they get older and we are lucky in Cornwall to
have companies like Anson Care Services to step in when families and carers
need help.
Shortly
afterwards I visited Valued Lives, an innovative charity based in Cornwall
offering community based care and support and helping change mental health
care. In recent years, the number of people affected by mental health problems
has increased. Maybe it’s the pressure to fit in and to belong - a sentiment
that always existed - but seems to have been heightened by social media in the
digital age which is relentless and immediate but often impersonal and
sometimes offensive.
On
Saturday I began the day with my usual weekly advice surgery to meet some of
the people who have written to me to ask for help. One of the things that
persuaded me to stand for election in the first place was seeing the work that
MPs do in their constituencies to help people deal with specific problems in
their daily lives. You can’t always solve the problem, but you can always try,
give advice and lend a helping hand. When you do succeed, it makes the job
worthwhile.
I
then popped along to a charity event at Jenn’s Diner where they were raising
awareness for Cornwall Blood Bikes. The charity are a group of self-funding
volunteers who provide an ‘out of hours’ courier service to our NHS partners
throughout Cornwall and beyond. It was great to hear first-hand some of the
stories they have as well as the challenges they face. Later in the day I
attended the Kehelland Methodist Chapel Tea Treat, meeting constituents and
listening to their concerns before heading off to an evening meeting back up in
Devon with a group of farmers to discuss future policy.
I
was shocked to hear that the recent fire on top of Carn Marth may have been
started deliberately. I want to thank the emergency services for their hard
work and dedication in putting the fire out and keeping residents safe. I know
what a beautiful area Lanner is and I hope it recovers from the fire.
