I recently joined Lieutenant Colonel John Hanson MBE and other members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces – both full-time and reservists – at a dinner at Northampton’s Clare Street Reserve Centre to celebrate the great work of our Armed Forces generally and the 103 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mech

Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign designed to highlight the importance of small businesses in the community as well as providing them an economic boost on the day itself - which this year fell on Saturday, 1st December.

As regular readers will know, I have always been a keen supporter of all faith groups in Northampton. It is imperative that people of all faiths feel safe and welcome in our community, and I have been very concerned about the worrying rise of anti-Semitism in the country.

On Saturday, 1st December I visited The Silhouette Youth Theatre at their performance hub at the Weston Favell Shopping Centre in Northampton.

As the Government’s Arts Minister I work tirelessly to ensure that our national interest is maintained when it comes to art and heritage in this country.

On Friday, 30th November I visited the NN Contemporary Art Gallery on Guildhall Road, Northampton. As the name suggests, the Gallery displays a wide variety of contemporary art ranging from award-winning art pieces to artworks created by recent graduates.

Michael Ellis MPs Expenses: Annual Update

On Friday, 16th November I met the new Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Nick Adderley, to discuss a number of important issues affecting residents of Northamptonshire and to look at ways we can move forward and deal with these.

I recently visited Headlands Primary School in my Northampton North constituency to speak not only to the pupils but also to the CEO of the Northampton Primary Academy Trust (NPAT) about the future of education in Northamptonshire.

In the last fortnight I spent a very full day visiting Downton Abbey, Hogwarts, the Roman Baths and even channelled my inner James Bond for a short drive in a vintage Aston Martin!