Like many people, PE was never my favourite or best subject at school. I never quite seemed to be built for whatever it was we were supposed to be playing or doing. Sports are however incredibly important as we are all increasingly recognising. The camaraderie of being part of a team. The discipline of playing by a set of rules. The joy of winning. The disappoint of defeat. Respect for the referee. The tribal bonds of fandom. All of these play a vital part in our what makes us who we are. School and community sports are of great importance and I want to pay tribute to all of those who give so freely of their time to coach and inspire so many of our young people across North Dorset. I met some of them a few months back involved with the Shaftesbury Under 12s where I was able to present a cheque on behalf of housebuilder Persimmon for £1,000 to fund new training kit and equipment. Rob Lucas who is the Manager of Shaftesbury Under 12s said the money would make a real difference for the team. The Government has long recognised the importance of sport to our country. A key element behind the creation of the National Lottery was the money it would raise for sport and training. John Major’s love of sport was a driving force behind this and many commentators have noted that our national success at many international sporting events can trace their genesis back to the Lottery funding it secured. The creation of the Department of Culture, Media & Sport again underlines the Government’s commitment to this important policy area. This week alone the department has allocated some £93mn for community sports projects across the UK benefitting 1,100 projects. Two of those are in North Dorset and Gillingham Town Youth Football Club has secured £3,960 for new goalposts while Sturminster Newton United Football Club has been awarded a massive £12,746 for pitch maintenance and upgrades. Good news for North Dorset community sports!
Another bit of good local news has been Dorset Council’s granting of planning permission for improvement works to the Corn Exchange at Blandford. Alongside the town church, the Exchange is undoubtedly the town’s most iconic building hosting charity, civic and many other events. I was pleased to support the plans as I was pleased to help secure national funding towards the Exchange and we are now working with others to secure local funding for this jewel in Blandford’s crown.
The recent storms created quite a bit of havoc and disruption across Dorset leading to localised flooding, fallen trees and loss of power. The loss of electricity, even for a relatively short period of time, illustrates how accustomed we have become to its reliability and necessity for so much of our daily lives. Power outages were particularly irksome in Milton Abbas and I am seeing SSEN this week to work with them to ensure that a problem, which is occurring too often, is rectified. More later.
Can I close by reminding you all that I hold regular Advice Surgeries across the constituency. These can be incredibly important in helping local people solve problems or secure attention from a service provider etc. If you think I can be of help please email [email protected] or you can call my Blandford office on 01258 452585. Do not hesitate to get in touch.
