2004 press release archive
Thanks to Royal Mail staff
20 December 2004
Barbara Follett MP visited the Royal Mail’s delivery office in Stevenage at 6:30am to see for herself how local postmen and women are pulling out all the stops to help Royal Mail deliver this year’s bumper festive postbag.
Labour gains in Roebuck
10 December 2004
Labour’s Sherma Batson secured a decisive victory in the Roebuck by-election on Thursday 9 December. The party’s share of the vote increase by 8.1% and Ms Batson, with a majority of 308, became the first black woman ever to be elected to Stevenage Borough Council.
Carers Rights Day call
2 December 2004
Barbara Follett MP has called on the 7,000+ people in Stevenage who look after a sick, frail or disabled relative or partner to see whether they are getting all of the support they are entitled to by checking out a new booklet, the Carers Rights Guide.
Credit where credit is due
30 November 2004
With less than a month to go until Christmas and the onset of cold weather, old folk and their relatives and neighbours in Stevenage are being urged by their MP Barbara Follett to claim a number of benefits which are easier to access than ever before.
Second World War heroes should claim lottery awards
17 November 2004
After ceremonies to commemorate Britain’s war dead, Barbara Follet MP urged Stevenage’s Second World War heroes to apply for awards funded by the National Lottery.
Minister for Science and Innovation visits Stevenage
9 November 2004
The Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, visited Stevenage on Friday 5th November and was the main speaker at a Business Breakfast hosted by local MP Barbara Follett at Knebworth Barns.
Supporting the energy saving campaign
9 November 2004
Barbara Follett MP has joined a long list of distinguished names on a parliamentary campaign (early day motion) to call on people to save energy by turning off their electrical appliances whenever possible.
Stevenage MP applauds fines and court for firework yobs
9 November 2004
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett has shown her support for a new piece of legislation which means that anybody found misusing fireworks will face an £80 on-the-spot fine.
Turning groceries into computers
26 October 2004
Barbara Follett MP visited the Tesco Extra store in Stevenage town centre on Friday 22nd October to present pupils and staff from local schools with computer equipment as part of Tesco’s “Computers for Schools” scheme.
Celebrating the protection of Christmas Day
18 October 2004
Barbara Follett MP is pleased to announce that the Christmas Day (Trading) Bill has passed its final stage in Parliament. The Bill, backed by Usdaw, the shopworkers union, means that all large stores must close on Christmas Day and this would give most shopworkers at least one day off at Christmas.
Flawed school consultation to be debated in Parliament
15 October 2004
Stevenage MP, Barbara Follett, is taking the concerns of local parents to Education Ministers on Tuesday 19th October when Hertfordshire County Council’s Review and Consultation on Primary Provision in the town is debated in Parliament.
Fun and learning at The Play Barn
30 September 2004
Barbara Follett MP was delighted to visit The Play Barn at Broom Barns JMI School on Monday 27th September to see for herself what this excellent childcare facility has to offer.
Early Christmas cheer for threatened school
29 September 2004
With local shops already full of Christmas goodies and decorations, it will be no surprise to anyone that Stevenage MP Barbara Follett has already chosen the winner of her annual “Design a Christmas Card” competition.
Coffee morning to help cancer sufferers
28 September 2004
Barbara Follett MP would like to say a big “thank you” to everybody who joined her at her constituency office on Friday 24th September as part of Macmillan Cancer Relief’s “World’s Biggest Coffee Morning”.
Trade Justice campaign reaches new heights
14 September 2004
Local MP Barbara Follett and the Chair of Stevenage Christian Aid, Laurence Arnold, met to discuss the organisation’s campaign to change the world’s unfair trading system on Friday 10th September. Both deplore the rules that benefit rich countries and penalise the poor.
First African and Caribbean store opens in Stevenage
29 July 2004
Barbara Follett MP was delighted to attend the official opening ceremony of the Rainbow Store at The Oval in Stevenage on Friday 16th July. Rainbow Stores Ltd is the first African-Caribbean shop in Stevenage.
Animal Welfare Bill protects ‘our best friends
26 July 2004
Barbara Follett, MP for Stevenage, enthusiastically welcomed proposed new laws to guarantee animal safety and welfare. A wide-ranging government bill was tabled before the House of Commons last week which aims to update over 20 pieces of animal welfare legislation dating back to 1911.
Girlguiding Stevenage appoints first Ambassador
12 July 2004
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett became the town’s first-ever Girlguiding Ambassador at a party to celebrate the Brownie's 90th Birthday Party at Lodge Farm Primary School on Sunday 4th July.
Telling children about dementia
5 July 2004
Barbara Follett MP has expressed her support for people with dementia and their carers in Stevenage in the run up to Alzheimer’s Awareness Week.
School joins the Giving Nation
4 July 2004
Barbara Follett, MP for Stevenage, visited Lonsdale School last week to see how they were getting involved in Giving Nation, a UK-wide initiative encouraging 11-16 year olds to switch on to charity and the community.
Support for victims of crime
30 June 2004
Barbara Follett MP pledged her support to victims of crime on when she met with Sue Dunkley, Branch Manager of Victim Support Hertfordshire. Victim Support is dedicated to helping people identify and overcome the impact of crime on them by providing free, confidential, emotional and practical help.
Datchworth in bloom
28 June 2004
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett visited Datchworth Village on the afternoon of Saturday 26th June to see some of the local gardens that had been opened to the public to raise funds for the upkeep of the new hall at All Saints Church.
Football comes home to Knebworth
22 June 2004
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett helped football come to Knebworth on Friday 18th June when she presented Knebworth Parish Council with a grant cheque for £234,838 from the Football Foundation.
Local MP backs campaign for accessible trains
14 June 2004
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett has backed a campaign run by leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire to bring forward the earliest possible date for all rail vehicles to be accessible to disabled people.
Barbara Follett MP joins celebrities to support Carers Week 2004
7 June 2004
Barbara Follett MP is joining celebrities including Cilla Black, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Sheila Hancock to give her support to this year’s Carers Week (June 14-20).
Stevenage school gets double boost
27 May 2004
Barbara Follett opened Burydale Junior School’s new ICT suite and helped teachers, governors and pupils celebrate rising standards within the school. The ICT suite cost £35,000 to build, £7,000 of which was personally donated by the Head, Larraine Hodgson.
Help for those with lung disease
19 May 2004
Shortness of breath was the main item on the agenda when Stevenage MP Barbara Follett met with the Chairman of the North Herts Branch of Breathe Easy, Norman Gurney, last week. Breathe Easy is a self-help group for people with chronic lung disease.
MP goes back to school
26 April 2004
Barbara Follett visited Barnwell School on MPs’ 'Back to School Day' on Friday 23rd April. The aim of this annual event is to raise awareness of the 100 million children worldwide who do not have a school to go to.
MP asks people of Stevenage to help shape the future of Parliament
12 February 2004
Barbara Follett MP today invited Stevenage residents to get involved in a consultation that will make suggestions on how Parliament can better connect with the public. The consultation, run as part of the Tell Parliament project will be run online, and will cover issues such as how Parliament could better reflect public concerns, and how Parliament could be made more accessible to citizens.
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