Lockleaze goes Boing

Thanks to Richard Redrupp, Lockleaze Primary School and team, Lockleaze has a superb new facility of soft-play for kids and a great place for parents to come and meet, chat and relax while their children enjoy themselves.

They are also running I.T sessions, and brining often isolated members of the community together. This is a great example of a group who have not waited for someone to tell them what to do, but have used their initiative, determination and imagination to make something happen.

In a world which seems so full of reasons telling you 'why not' , it is always inspiring and refreshing to find people and groups who challengingly ask 'why not?' then get on and do it!

Street Party Jubilation

 So here are some Jubilee Stats: not only does Bristol stand out as the Street Party Capital outside London ( cheer) , but according to my rough calculations, around 60% of all Bristol's street parties were here in Bristol North West ( more cheers!)

Fantastic! But it made the challenge of getting round as many as possible all the more daunting. I didn't manage to visit every street party going on over the weekend, but I got to a fair old few...

 Each party was beautifully different, and upliftingly the same - every street did it in their own way, with their own special highlights - be it a superb fancy dress outfit ( well done, Millie from Devonshire's!)  an empire of Gazebos ( you know who you are!)  or welly-wanging and medals ( I still think its a bit too risky for an MP to be flinging hard rubber wellingtons about in the vicinity of her constituents' small children) ; but the same in that every street told me how it had brought the community together; how people had met and formed a rapport with neighbours they had lived along side for years, but never spoken to..
... how taking traffic of the road made the street seem like a completely different space, and how good it was for all generations to intermingle.

 At times the rain did it's best to dampen spirits, but in true British style, the parties carried on - particular credit to Wessex Avenue, who manage a superb party in the middle of what can only be described as a small river running down the hill, and a gale battering the small gatherings of community-gazebos, huddled in the middle of the street!

I don't think I've ever seen our national flag waved so proudly, or 'Jerusalem' and 'Land of Hope and Glory' sung with such gusto - and it was great to see our nation so proud of itself, and so patriotic.

Morning for an Olympic Breakfast

 Seldom does an Olympic Breakfast ever have anything to do with the Olympics (usually an uncannily large plate of beautiful fry-up with too many sausages) but this morning it did...

What seemed like the whole of Henleaze came to line the streets outside my office on Henleaze road, and across Bristol North West, from the Downs to the Bear and Rugged Staff on Southmead Road and beyond, we all came out to witness an historic event.

As the crowds lined the streets, I realised I'd missed a political trick here, as anyone using the road for about an hour preceding the torch raised an almighty, indiscriminate cheer. I may have had my own inflatable torch, but I didn't quite have the nerve to run down the streets of my constituency, waving it about...

Serving Olympic breakfast baps 

 And then, after a stream of lorries and excitement,  and an apparent detour while someone got lost, there she was: The Olympic Torch Bearer, running past us in a flash.  Everyone reached for cameras and flumoxed about whether to take a video or a photo - by the time I'd worked it all out, she was almost gone.

But what a morning: It really felt like we'd witnessed some history, and it was remarkable to see something as historic and symbolic and ancient as the Olympic Flame coming here, to our streets , to our home.  A day for generations to remember. Whether by video, photo - or just being there and soaking up an extraordinary morning.

Safeguarding doctor training and patient care

This week I had a PMQ ( Prime Minister's Question) about the effect of the European Working Time Directive on the NHS. It may sound a bit techie, but it's absolutely crucial.

Daylight Saving Bill and parliamentary frustrations

Processes in Parliament can be frustrating. Seldom has it been as frustrating, and , many would say, mis-used as in the debate on Rebecca Harris MP's Daylight Saving Bill.

The Bill, which called for a proper review of the pros and cons of keeping British summertime all year round, to settle once and for all the debate that returns year after year to parliament, but has historically always been stumped down because of internal process, had got further through parliament than ever before.

There was an overwhelming parliamentary concencus for the Bill, and well over 120 MPs had sacrificed time in their constituencies that Friday in order to vote for it. But the Bill was stopped. Why? Not by strength of argument, or through debate, or through numbers of opposition - but because a small group of MPs chose to 'talk it out'. That is, put down huge numbers of amendements, to which they could speak, to literally 'talk it out of time'.