Friday

5.30am - I leave London at just gone 5.30am; it is quiet and the journey back is thankfully smooth and I arrive at my 9am appointment in Yate with time to spare. I am meeting the developers of the Autumn Brook neighbourhood on Peg Hill, I tour the site and meet some of the young local apprentices that are involved in the project. Our area alone has seen over 4,080 apprenticeships started since 2010, giving thousands of young people here the opportunity to earn the skills we need and that they can rely on for future jobs. These visits also give me the chance to discuss the development and its progress.

I leave Peg Hill at 9.45am to meet a local franchise owner in Yate Shopping Centre to discuss what more the government can do to support business and aid job creation, and what more can be done to make retailing more attractive in South Gloucestershire.

12.30pm - I arrive at my local advice centre in Thornbury for my regular Friday surgery, which gives me half an hour to prepare and read through some notes and papers. Holding surgeries and getting involved in issues in our community and resolving individual cases is one of the most important and satisfying parts of this job.

I also meet with the chairman and vice-chairman of Marshfield Parish Council to discuss local development issues. The latest Planning, Sites and Policy consultation from South Gloucestershire Council means there has been some concerns from residents over greenbelt protection to the south of the village. We conclude by discussing whether there are any other issues that I can help.

Saturday

11am - I am back in Yate for my fifth Tesco surgery. These drop-in surgeries are completely different to the surgeries I hold in private in my office. I sit at the top of the escalator with at a table for two hours on a Saturday, and people just walk up and say hello, or raise a problem or concern. They are much more informal and hopefully go some way to making me as accessible as possible as the local MP.

As I go to leave the sales assistant who has been giving out free cheese offers me rest of the bowl. Having been stopped in the street this week by a woman who was keen to tell me I had put on weight since becoming an MP, I refuse the large bowl of dairy.

1.15pm – I arrive at Stanshawes to open the Vintage Birdcage Cakery just off Kingsgate Park. Lots of people turn out to celebrate this lovely new addition to the community. The owners, Suzanne and Nicole, have done a wonderful job, from starting off making cakes in the kitchen to a new local business which will help the local economy. I regretfully refuse some quite beautifully made cake (again thinking back to the woman in the street who made a job about my weight) but look at the proposed entrance onto Kingsgate Park which could make quite a difference to the success of the business.

It was a busy week in Parliament, but as with most weeks, the most enjoyable days are spent in the local community.