This weekend sees the switch on of the Christmas lights in Romsey, which is always one of my favourite events of the year. There is an enormous amount of work goes in to getting the Town ready for Christmas, much of it done by volunteers and those businesses who contribute to the cost of the lights and the beautiful trees that decorate so many premises.
Meanwhile in Westminster the issue of nitrate neutrality is back on the agenda and I met with Ministers Pow and Harrison to discuss the ongoing challenges for people trying to extend their homes or change use of properties in the wider Solent area. I cannot remember when it was that I raised this with then PM Boris Johnson at PMQs, I am pretty sure it was pre-pandemic, and it is frustrating it has taken this long to get to a solution. However, the good news is there seems to be progress from both DEFRA and the Department for Communities and Housing.
On Wednesday I was at the British Museum to take part in the Daily Telegraph's Women in Business conference. It was a great event and part of a week of activity to foster women's entrepreneurship. Last Saturday was a day specifically aimed at highlighting the great female entrepreneurs there are around the country, and I had the chance to meet a number of Romsey and Southampton North's brilliant women business owners.