One of the nicest things about the Easter Recess was that I was able to get out and about in the constituency away from the hustle and bustle of London.

I spent a lovely evening with the Samaritans after officially opening their newly refurbished Operations area. I met some of their dedicated volunteers, one of whom had been with the Samaritans for over 36 years. It is a 24 hour service providing support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community, never judging but just being there to listen.

At my surgery I met Paulsgrove residents who are worried about the threat to the 1C bus service, so I organised a meeting with First Bus to tell them that it’s no good just concentrating on the bus services on the main routes in the City, places like Paulsgrove are in more need than many of a regular bus service, because they are already isolated from many of the City’s amenities. First Bus have set up a shuttle service and have agreed to review the whole service later this year.

Just after Christmas there were a couple of nasty incidents when cabling overheated on the Cosham level crossing so I took the opportunity to visit the crossing to talk to Network Rail about their safety procedures and how incidents like this can be prevented from happening in the future.

On Easter Monday I took part in the Eggstravaganza at the Drayton Institute and met local people who are working hard to raise money for a new Community Centre to serve Drayton and Farlington, an area that doesn’t always get the attention it needs because it is seen as an affluent area.

Sadly, however, there are too many elderly people, living alone in large houses they cannot afford to maintain, who desperately need the sort of community facilities the Institute provides, although the building is old and needs updating to meet everyone’s needs.

These are just a few of the visits I made during my two week break from Westminster, but doing things like this make my job as an MP so worthwhile.