Karen Bradley

AS MANY of you know, I was honoured and privileged to have been asked to become Secretary of State for Northern Ireland earlier this year and was therefore delighted to host my first garden party recently at Hillsborough Castle.

Hillsborough Castle is the official residence of the royal family when they are in Northern Ireland and it has been the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since the 1970s. It is situated in the charming village of Hillsborough in County Down, about 30 minutes south of Belfast.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has hosted an annual garden party since 1984 and I was pleased to be able to invite some residents from Staffordshire Moorlands as well as guests from a wide cross section of the Northern Ireland community. It was lovely to be able to show everyone what a very special place I reside in when I am in Northern Ireland.

By tradition, there is always a member of the royal family present at the Garden Party and this year I was delighted to welcome her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal as our special guest.

It was an honour to have such an important person and a member of the royal family who represents so much that is wonderful about the monarchy of the United Kingdom.

On a more local note I had a very useful meeting in Westminster with the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, Gareth Morgan, together with other Staffordshire MPS.

The Chief Constable updated us on the work of the police in the county and I was pleased to be able to discuss specific concerns that many have raised with me.