Considering their fantastic achievements in the past, I had no doubt that the Werrington Community Volunteers Group would make a success of the Community Library. But a year on and I can safely say that the library has surpassed even my high expectations.
As the Secretary of State responsible for technology, I have the privilege of overseeing one of the UK’s most important sectors - important not just for its value to the UK economy, but also for its potential to change the world for the better.
In recent years, I have spoken to lots of Moorlands parents and teachers who are worried that their children are getting into dangerous situations online.
I found out this week that last year’s Young Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Poet Laureate, our very own Matilda Houston-Brown, has taken another big step in her mission to inspire young people to get into poetry.
I’m calling on people in the Moorlands to join me by wearing a Unity Band, making a donation or spreading the word on social media in support of World Cancer Day which on Saturday 4 February.
This week I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, pledging my commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people.
My 2017 started with meetings and discussions about a question which is often raised in the Moorlands: how do we maintain the beauty and unique nature of the Moorlands whilst making sure that our towns and villages are vibrant places to live and work?
Seeing the bare and forlorn looking Christmas trees lining the streets of town, it is easy to feel a bit bleak about the end of the festive period and the prospect of real life resuming again.
