‘You have held this community together’

WATCHING television on Tuesday morning, I found myself welling up at the sight of a 90-year-old lady in Coventry receiving a vaccination.

A small act which represented so much more – the beginning of the end.

When I was elected as your Member of Parliament one year ago, the first cases of an unidentified virus had just been confirmed in the city of Wuhan. Little did I know then, or even in the immediate period that followed, that it would escalate into a global crisis impacting every element of our lives in West Berkshire – how we live, work, socialise, exercise, worship, shop and even how we celebrate Christmas.

The first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been administered and the NHS is gearing up to the largest immunisation programme in history, with the Royal Berks set to receive stocks soon.

Up to four million doses of the vaccine will be administered by the end of the month.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is hot on its heels.

There may be a long way to go, but this is a monumental step forward.

As your MP, many of the plans I had – for jobs fairs, youth forums, summer fetes – were displaced within months, for the much more urgent work of crisis management.

Every request felt critical; a loved one stranded abroad, a small business unable to pay its bills, a care home struggling to secure PPE.

My team and I spent days, which turned into weeks and months, on the phone to government departments trying to get help. One way or another, our community has staggered through it and I am proud of every single one of you who stepped up to join in the huge collective effort.

The furloughed workers, who got on their bikes and cycled round Newbury delivering medicines, the thousands who signed up to be community volunteers collecting food and prescriptions, the parents who became teachers in the largest home-schooling exercise this country has ever seen. I confess there were moments of panic – PPE shortages, business closures, grim discussions with the Royal Berks as Covid admissions rose.

And there were also moments of real inspiration.

It has been a joy to meet so many of you – whether through community groups, meals on wheels deliveries or school and business visits.

You have adapted, collaborated and held this community together.

And it wasn’t all about coronavirus.

There were local wins – securing funding for the A34 and for cycling infrastructure and finally getting Thames Water to sort out Lambourn’s flooding issues. There were national wins – including the transformational commitments on climate change, defence spending (with important implications for the AWE and Denison Barracks) and on further education, with vital investment going into Newbury College.

And there were personal wins – working cross-party to improve the Domestic Abuse Bill, even persuading the Government to change its name at the 11th hour to The Domestic Abuse and Consent Bill.

It was an honour to be nominated MP of the Year by the Patchwork Foundation.

I don’t underestimate the toll this year has taken, which is why mental health and business recovery will comprise my first two campaigns of 2021.

But bounce back we will, and I am confident that brighter days lie ahead.