Out and about across the constituency this week

While Parliament has been in recess, this week I’ve been spending time out and about across the constituency – meeting residents, visiting local organisations, hearing concerns directly from communities and seeing first-hand the incredible work taking place across Blackpool every single day.

From community safety meetings to schools, charities, churches and young people fundraising for good causes, this week has been a reminder of just how much dedication, compassion and community spirit exists across our town.

Story time at Stanley Primary School

There was no better way to start a week of visits than with story time with reception children. I visited Stanley Primary School as part of their brilliant Mystery Reader programme. The children didn’t know who was coming to read to them – thankfully they seemed quite happy when I arrived!

Initiatives like this are really close to my heart because they help foster excitement around reading, storytelling and community involvement from an early age.

I read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to the reception class and we talked about times they had “swish-swoshed” through long wavy grass or “splish-sploshed” through thick oozy mud and where you can find places like that in Blackpool. The children knew the story brilliantly and enthusiastically joined in with all the actions.

Afterwards they asked me some very important questions, including my favourite food (pizza), favourite colour (red), favourite shoes (trainers!) and favourite place in Blackpool (Stanley Park).

A huge thank you to Ms Rigby for the invitation and for running such a brilliant initiative. It genuinely put me in the best mood for the rest of the week.

Seeing the Incredible Work of STAR

I visited STAR, a brilliant charity in Claremont, after recently nominating them for a £2,000 donation from bacta – the UK’s leading trade association representing the amusement industry.

At their Claremont centre I spent time chatting with members enjoying arts and crafts and a brew in what is clearly a warm, welcoming and supportive environment.

Incredible talent among STAR members

STAR, which stand for Stand Together and Recover, may not have huge resources, but the volunteers and staff do an incredible amount with what they have – from busy workshops to transforming a once-neglected outdoor space into a beautiful community garden where people grow flowers and vegetables and remember loved ones through memorial benches and plaques.

The charity also supports people through its community shop, redistributing items to those who need them most.

Thank you to Simone and all the volunteers and members for welcoming me and showing the incredible impact they are having on people’s mental health recovery journeys across Blackpool.

If you are able to support their work, please consider donating or getting involved.

Listening to residents at Marton PACT

I attended the latest Marton PACT meeting at Marton United Reformed Church alongside local councillors (thanks to Shaun Brooks for the invite), residents, community groups including Friends of Marton Mere, and members of the local neighbourhood policing team.

It was a small but lively meeting, with robust conversations around fly tipping, potholes, anti-social behaviour, e-bikes, graffiti, investment and regeneration.

One issue raised was young people climbing the scaffolding on the clock tower during its renovation works for the centenary year celebrations. Thanks to the regular presence of the neighbourhood policing team and additional security measures, the issue has now been resolved.

There was also a lot of discussion about the need for greater investment into the park, and Shaun and I spoke about ongoing efforts to help make that happen.

Encouragingly, local police shared updated crime figures showing crime in the area has fallen significantly over the last year – from 102 incidents in April 2025 to 69 last month – thanks to the work of the dedicated neighbourhood policing team and initiatives like PACT meetings which help create a joined-up, whole-community approach.

Residents can check local crime statistics, find details of their neighbourhood policing team and upcoming events including future PACT meetings here: Lancashire Police – Marton Neighbourhood Information

It would be great to see even more residents attending the next meeting on 1st July at 5:30pm at the United Reform Church on Preston Old Road.

Celebrating 6th Form students raising thousands for charity

I was also delighted to attend a civic reception at Blackpool Town Hall hosted by Mayor Kim Critchley, celebrating the incredible achievements of protective services students from Blackpool 6th Form.

The students split into eight groups and each set themselves the ambitious challenge of raising £1,000 for charities and good causes through a variety of fundraising activities. Together, they exceeded expectations and raised an incredible amount of money, which I was pleased to round up to £14,000 on the night.

Representatives from charities and organisations including Eliot’s Place, Reclaim Blackpool and Trinity Hospice attended the evening and spoke movingly about the difference these donations will make.

The students should be enormously proud of themselves. They have worked incredibly hard and shown real compassion and leadership. It was also their final day on the course and it was fantastic to speak with many of them about their plans for university and future careers in nursing, paramedics, policing and public service.

I’ve visited the course a number of times over the past two years and it has been brilliant to see these students grow in confidence, develop their skills and support one another. I wish every single one of them the very best for the future.

I sincerely hope many of them choose to stay in Blackpool or return here after university because our town needs talented, community-minded young people like them.

An affecting visit to Care & Share

Sometimes visits catch me off guard, and this one definitely did.

Linda, who runs Care & Share, has quietly supported local families and individuals for four decades, redistributing donated clothing, household items and essentials to people in crisis and those setting up new homes.

Every week she and her volunteers support huge numbers of people. On average around 40 people visit the free shop each week, they provide 15 hospital bags containing baby essentials, and distribute around 18 starter packs for people moving into accommodation with nothing.

What struck me most was not just the scale of the support, but the compassion behind it.

Linda, who has been helping vulnerable families in the area since the late 1980s, is now 80 years old and still dedicating herself to helping others. She spoke emotionally about worrying what will happen to Care & Share in the future, although it’s clear she has built an incredible team of dedicated volunteers around her.

The volunteers told me about some of the heartbreaking situations they encounter, particularly supporting those fleeing domestic violence and people facing extreme hardship and isolation.

When Linda explained she had recently used her own holiday savings to buy essentials for women in need, I knew where some of my salary as being donated this month. I really hope she takes the holiday because she deserves it more than anyone. 

During my visit, a woman fleeing domestic violence arrived needing urgent support so I stayed to help her access the services and assistance she needed. It was an emotional visit that will stay with me for a long time.

Care & Share particularly needs donations of baby items, cleaning products and radios and televisions to help support isolated single men. It’s also clear the volunteers themselves gain enormous value from being involved – helping others while also finding community, purpose and support through difficult times in their own lives.

If you are able to donate, volunteer or support their work, please do.

Meeting Blackpool’s church leaders at St John’s

I was grateful to be invited by the Revd Canon Peter Lillicrap to visit St John’s Church and speak to the Blackpool Deanery Chapter – the Church of England clergy serving communities across Blackpool.

I updated clergy on the work I’ve been doing locally over the past two years before taking questions and discussing issues they encounter through their congregations and community work.

We spoke about hospice care, NHS pay, homelessness, SEND provision and the outstanding contribution local third sector organisations make to supporting vulnerable residents

Churches across Blackpool do far more than simply provide places of worship. They provide social connection, community activity, food support, pastoral care and safe spaces for people going through difficult times.

It was also great to see the new Church Door Coffee shop, which is bringing new life into the square and is a brilliant example of churches diversifying and innovating to keep their doors open – literally.

Looking back on the week as a whole, what stands out most is the sheer strength of community spirit across Blackpool.

Whether it’s volunteers helping families in crisis, clergy supporting isolated residents, neighbourhood police working with communities to reduce crime, teachers fostering a love of reading, charities supporting mental health recovery, or young people raising thousands for good causes, there are people across our town quietly making a huge difference every single day.

But these visits also highlight the challenges many residents continue to face – poverty, domestic abuse, mental health struggles, social isolation and pressure on public services.

The answer to those challenges is not just policy from Westminster. It’s strong communities, joined-up local services, dedicated volunteers and people who genuinely care about one another.

This week reminded me exactly why I love Blackpool and why I’m proud to represent it