Geoff Hoon meets with local health forum · Fri, 26th Oct · 

Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon met with members of the Nottinghamshire County Patient & Public Involvement forum on Friday to discuss issues relating to local health care provision. The members (John Reynolds, John Kerry, Iris Parker Smith) and Forum Support Worker (Gerry Molumby) are local residents and constituents of Mr Hoon.

PPIs were set up in 2003 to monitor and review the services arranged and provided by NHS trusts from the perspective of the patient. It is expected that the forums will be replaced next year by a new public patient involvement system called LINKs, which will cover both health and social care services. LINKs forums will be geographically based, ensuring an even greater emphasis is attached to local health provision.

Mr Hoon was able to contribute to the forums work by addressing a number of concerns regarding the future of public patient involvement, specifically when the said changes would come into affect in Ashfield.

Mr Hoon said: 'It is vitally important to discuss local health issues with those members of the public that are involved in overseeing health care provision in Ashfield. They obviously want to be fully prepared for the changes to their role over the next few years, and I was happy to discuss with them plans to make their role more flexible, inclusive and appropriate to the needs of local people and communities. We are all grateful for the time that they give to this important work on behalf of the people of Ashfield.'

Geoff Hoon meets local poet · Fri, 26th Oct · 

10 year old Casey Stocks presents her book of poems to Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon.

'The way I pass the time when I have nothing to do' will be published by Village Print in Stanton Hill thanks to a bursary given to Casey by them. The book will soon be available from their offices at 42 High Street in Stanton Hill.

The Dalestorth Primary School pupil first started writing poetry for the SHOUT magazine where her mother works but has now produced enough material for her own collection.

Mr Hoon said: 'It’s wonderful to see that young people are being creative and expressing themselves in this way. I must also congratulate Village Print for giving Casey this opportunity to have her work published.'

Geoff Hoon visits Cedar Wildlife Sanctuary · Fri, 26th Oct · 

Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon visited the Cedar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kirkby on Friday to see the new developments to the hospital for sick animals.

The Cedar Wildlife Sanctuary is approved by the RSPCA and has been caring for a variety of animals for the last 15 years, including foxes, swans, birds and hedgehogs. They have recently expanded with a brand new hospital, converted from a garage, and more aviaries and pens for the animals. The facilities on site allow then to perform most of the treatments there before releasing them back into the wild.

The sanctuary has regularly opened its doors to visitors over the past fifteen years and is looking for support in keeping the facility open.

Mr Hoon said: 'It is great to see the developments and improvements that have taken place at the Cedar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is important that community projects such as these are given the support that they need. I would like to commend Wendy Radford for all her hard work that she has put into the sanctuary in the past and the future.'

Geoff Hoon MP visited Eastwood's Priory Catholic Primary School on Friday to celebrate the school's recent attainment of lottery funding. The award of £9,000 will fund projects in which pupils will create an outdoor mosaic, a stained glass window, a sensory garden and a vegetable garden. Pupils will embark on each project on a term by term basis throughout the school year and will be joined by local over-60s art group Escape, who will assist them in creating the stained glass window.

The Ashfield MP was also shown how the school had made use of a £7,455 award from the football foundation to fund the installation of new playground markings. Mr Hoon, who is himself an avid follower of football and supporter of Derby County Football Club, took the opportunity to speak to pupils about their sporting activities, achievements and future ambitions.

Mr Hoon said: 'I am delighted to be here today to celebrate these fantastic awards and recognise the huge amount of hard work and commitment required in order to obtain funding. The lottery funding will make it possible for students to enhance their creative and artistic skills through the various projects. Sport and healthy activity are also an essential part of education and childhood life and it is really important that pupils have good facilities in which to develop their sporting talents. Everyone at the school has worked really hard for the awards and I wish them all every success.'

Asda Tickled Pink For Breast Cancer Charities · Fri, 5th Oct · 

For the eleventh year ASDA stores and depots are raising money for Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Campaign.

Today Friday 5th October, Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP will be visiting the Asda Store in Priestic Road, Sutton-In-Ashfield to see what activities the store has been holding in support of their Tickled Pink campaign for Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Campaign.

Now in its eleventh year all 338 stores and 24 depots have been raising funds and awareness for a disease that affects 44,000 women and 350 men in the UK every year. The fundraising total to date for ASDA’s Tickled Pink campaign is nearly £16 million and this year colleagues across the country are hoping to raise £4 million. Money raised goes to our two Breast Cancer Charities Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Campaign. Funds raised will enable Breast Cancer Care to support thousands more people affected by breast cancer in the UK and Breast Cancer Campaign to fund independent research throughout the UK.

Shoppers at ASDA have been showing their support by buying a product from the specially selected Tickled Pink range. There are a wide variety of different products to choose from and many of the lines have been exclusively designed for the campaign including a special George clothing range. Colleagues at ASDA have also be raising money to support the campaign through in store activities and fun days.

ASDA's store manager Martin Scott said: 'We're Tickled Pink to be supporting breast cancer charities for the eleventh year and our campaign gives people the opportunity to raise funds for a really worthwhile cause whilst having fun at the same time. All money raised will benefit Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Campaign and ultimately people affected by breast cancer.'

Geoff Hoon said: 'The Tickled Pink campaign keeps going from strength to strength. I'm really pleased to have the opportunity today to see how Asda in Sutton-in-Ashfield are continuing to raise funds, and also, importantly, raise awareness of breast cancer. Our thanks must go to all the staff here at Sutton Asda who have worked really hard for the continued success of this campaign.'

For further information on ASDA’s Tickled Pink campaign, please visit www.asdatickledpink.com

Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon today welcomed new leave entitlement which will benefit around 500,000 workers across the East Midlands. The changes accompany another rise in the minimum wage that will benefit 90,000 people in the region from this week.

Up to six million workers across the UK, including 3.5 million women and 2.5 million men, will benefit from the extra annual leave. The new leave entitlement helps fulfil a Labour manifesto pledge to give an extra boost to workers who are made to take bank holidays out of their annual leave entitlement.

In addition, more than a million workers across the UK will be better off as a result of the minimum wage increases which, when combined with Working Tax credits and other benefits, will provide a guaranteed minimum income of at least £276 a week for families with one child and one full-time worker.

Geoff Hoon said: 'This is great news for many people in Ashfield and half a million workers in the East Midlands who stand to benefit from the increased holiday entitlement that Labour is introducing from this week. Around 90,000 in the region will also be better off thanks to the latest increase in the minimum wage.'

“These changes are a vital part of our commitment to achieving a better deal for employees. They will benefit hard working people right across Ashfield. Compare that to the Tories, who opposed the extra leave entitlement and the minimum wage every step of the way.'

The changes that come into effect this week will be backed up by a tough new minimum wage enforcement regime announced by the Government last month, including increased maximum fines for employers who flout the laws. Employers who do not pay the correct wages will have to repay arrears to their workers at a higher rate.

Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon joined the local police on Friday for their regular patch walk around Brinsley. Mr Hoon, who has taken part in other patch walks throughout the Ashfield constituency, spent an hour touring the village and surrounding area in order to gain a first hand insight of current issues facing the police and local residents. He then attended Brinsley's quarterly Community Action Team meeting at the village's Parish Hall. The meeting involved a discussion on levels of funding and priorities for police spending in the area.

Geoff Hoon said: 'I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to join the police on their patch walk in Brinsley. It is important to have a first hand appreciation of issues that both the police and residents are experiencing. It also gives me an opportunity to see how the police are operating and what their local priorities are. I know that some impressive initiatives have taken place in Eastwood and Brinsley, in conjunction with local schools, the Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Police Community Support Officers, and happily the result of this has been an overall reduction in crime.'

Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon met with the Ashfield Seniors forum at Mill House, Huthwaite on Friday to discuss various issues that are currently affecting the area's older people. The meeting provides an opportunity for the group to lobby their MP on matters of both a local and national nature. The Police were also in attendance in order to address members' concerns.

Mr Hoon said: 'It is a great pleasure to meet with the Ashfield Seniors forum. It is tremendously important that both I and other representatives engage with older people and listen carefully to their views and concerns. Their experience and insight can clearly be of great benefit to the whole community.'