Diary 30 November
2009
This year, I have taken a different
approach to my Christmas Card. I asked for nominations of
people whose voluntary work really adds something to the
Town. Six of them
feature on the card and I welcomed them to Parliament on Tuesday to
say thank you.
Signing
Christmas Cards always reminds me of the League of Friends at the
Alex Hospital. They
collect used stamps, sell them and raise thousands for the
hospital. So as
you’re ripping open your Christmas cards this year, take a second
to keep the stamps and then drop them off at the Coffee Shop in the
hospital.
Good news for
prospective Redditch Mums this week. The Maternity Unit at the Alex
has got new staff and can now take Mums with babies born from 34
weeks. Just four
years ago, we were campaigning to keep the unit open – now it’s
going from strength to strength! I had my children at the Alex
and I’m delighted that the opportunity will be there for Mums in
years to come.
Last Friday, I held one of my surgeries in
Tescos. As well as
people dropping by to have a chat as they did their shopping, I was
also able to meet the new manager, Phil Brown. He’s got a busy time in the next
month, but was pleased to be in Redditch. I also met Leanna Horne who had
just finished a very successful work placement in the
store. She is a
wheelchair user and had been placed as part of a Whizz Kids
projects to find work placements for disabled people. Leanna had been such a success
that the store didn’t want her to go. Employers always benefit when
they focus on what disabled people can do rather than what they
can’t and I’m glad that Tescos is taking part in the
scheme.
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