Easter was a nice reminder of normality

Ihope you’ve all had a wonderful Easter weekend and managed to get some downtime. After the last couple of Easters, this really felt again like a return to normal – and I hope you all got a nice bit of chocolate from the Easter Bunny! I had a lovely time joining family for a catchup for the first time since Christmas, such is our busy lives – we could do with a few extra hours in the day!

The end of Easter also brings a return to Westminster, and Parliament is once again back in full swing.

With the Queen’s Speech coming up in only a couple of weeks, there’s always a fantastic buzz around the place as the government gets ready to set out its agenda for the next couple of years, as we continue our recovery from the pandemic.

As this begins, I just want to share some of the visits I’ve been able to do over the last couple of weeks across our beautiful constituency and beyond!

Before Easter weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed my recent tour of The Kiln, an arts and crafts studio in Burgess Hill. It provides space and facilities for people to do their own projects, work with others and enjoy hands-on sessions which are fun and interactive, including weaving, art, sewing, pottery and much more.

It was fantastic to see it all and the amazing items they make. If you are interested in joining, contact www. thekiln.org.uk

It was also great to attend the official opening of the A2300 a few days ago.

The 23million improvements scheme includes key new shared spaces for cyclists and pedestrians and will help boost our local economy.

Thank you to all users of this road for your patience whilst this work was in progress.

Following the recent, disappointing announcement by HSBC they are closing their Burgess Hill and East Grinstead branches, I met with local director Simon Morris to discuss the impact of these closures on customers and employees.

I have been assured regular ‘pop up’ support will be there for those who need it in the area as well as facilities at the post office, as I know these closures are very frustrating for those who need face to face support.

Finally, a huge congratulations to Haywards Heath chef Fatma from Fatma’s Kitchen in the Broadway.

She has won the hotly contested Chef of the Year for 2022 at the British Kebab Awards – she’s the first female winner of this accolade and we are very proud of her and her team. The food really is delicious so do pop in and try the award winning fare!