WHAT a privilege and an honour it was to be in attendance in Westminster Hall for Ukrainian President Zelensky’s address to Parliament during his recent visit to the UK.

Be in no doubt, the UK will continue to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

Back in Taunton Deane I had an enjoyable visit to Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary school recently where some of the school council members gave me an insightful tour.

This was followed by a discussion with the whole school council on my role as the local MP.

From the youngest to the eldest council members, they had certainly done their homework with some perceptive questions being asked. Thank you to all involved. 

Like our primary schools, nurseries also play a vital role in many of our children’s lives.

Somerset County Gazette: Volodymyr Zelensky meets parliamentarians in Westminster Hall. Volodymyr Zelensky meets parliamentarians in Westminster Hall. (Image: Stefan Rousseau, PA Wire)

In National Storytelling week it was a delight to share a story with some of the children at Tops Day Nursery located within the Musgrove Park Hospital complex.

The nursery was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise last year for its environmental credentials which included gardening with the children, using washable nappies and staff making their own environmentally friendly wet wipes, which I witnessed first-hand.

Providing help and education for a different but equally important sector is Victory House in Taunton who deliver an invaluable service for our armed forces veterans, to whom we owe so much gratitude for their service.

In a recent visit to the centre the dedicated team at Arc explained the work they do to help many of our vulnerable veterans with a view to integrating them back into society and the workforce where appropriate.

Finally, some welcome news for our buses locally, with Government recently announcing the £2 cap on bus fares in England will be extended by three months.

I know there remains more to do to improve the provision of some of our bus services locally and I continue to liaise with Transport Ministers as a priority.

I also continue to prioritise my campaign for a rail station in Wellington and in a meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport I outlined progress being made by our local stakeholder group, which I chair, and stressed the benefits a rail station in the town will deliver. I look forward to the next stakeholder this Friday.