Herald column May 19th, 2022
Sir Lyndsay Hoyle didn’t stand a chance. Faced with Shoreham dancing legend Dinkie Flowers he was putty in her hands as we topped off a tour and lunch at Westminster to celebrate Dinkie’s 101st birthday with a visit to see the Speaker of the House of Commons.
She challenged him to join in with some high kicks and assorted other dancing moves before tripping lightly down the stairs to the tune of ‘We’re off to see the Wizard…the wonderful Wizard of Oz’ having had to restrain her from sliding down the banisters in Speaker’s Tower! Dinkie is a force of nature, and it was a joy to entertain her (or rather her entertain us) in Parliament. She is still raising money for local NHS good causes, and you can join the fun by buying a ticket for her birthday tea at the Shoreham Centre on May 28th. Details are on my Facebook page.
It was a lovey day for a parade on Saturday and there was a good turnout from the people of Shoreham to say farewell to the 5th HMS Shoreham and her 41 strong crew. I hope it will not be long before we welcome back a new ship named after our town, but word is that the current one is destined for Ukraine, and we wish her well with the considerable mine clearing operation needed after the Russians have been sent packing.
I enjoyed my visit to St Andrew’s School last week to meet some inspiring youth workers from the yd Youth Project based at the Sydney Walter Centre in Worthing as part of the national review I am chairing into the role of youth services in schools. With funding rom the Government’s Holiday Activity Fund they are doing some impressive work on personal development and resilience building with a group of young people and clearly helping them get the best out of school.
I have a scheduled constituency surgery on Friday in Shoreham this week. If you would like an appointment, please ring my constituency office on 01273 757182 as usual
