2005 press release archive
Urging local veterans to claim their Veterans Lapel Badge
15 November 2005
Barbara Follett MP attended the Remembrance Day service in Stevenage Old Town on Sunday 13th November. After laying a wreath, Mrs Follett spent time talking to veterans, some of whom were attending their 60th Remembrance Day parade, and urged them to claim their veteran's lapel badges.
Questioning the Chancellor on the Tax Credit system
9 November 2005
Barbara Follett will question the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the House of Commons on Thursday 10th November about his plans to improve public understanding of the Tax Credit system.
Stevenage Residents join Mass Lobby at Westminster
9 November 2005
Stevenage residents joined thousands of other concerned citizens who converged on Westminster last Wednesday to urge their Members of Parliament to help the poorest people on earth.
Lung cancer - early diagnosis saves lives
1 November 2005
Barbara Follett MP is supporting Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November, and is urging the people of Stevenage and Hertfordshire to improve their knowledge about this terrible disease.
Questioning the Prime Minister on breast cancer screening
18 October 2005
Barbara Follett came out in the draw for Prime Minister’s questions last week and because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, decided to use the opportunity to ask him to lower the age for free, regular breast screening so that women in their forties could also benefit from this life saving service.
Annual event gives everyone a reason to ‘celebrate’
17 October 2005
The Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage played host to the fourth annual ‘Celebrate’ evening on Friday 14th October. "Celebrate’ aims to bring together - and celebrate - the multiculturalism of the Stevenage community, with an evening of music, dance, poetry, drama and song.
A creative Christmas comes early to Roebuck School
11 October 2005
Despite the recent warm and sunny weather, the pupils of Roebuck School in Stevenage have been preoccupied with thoughts of Christmas recently. This is because Roebuck School was this year’s chosen school for Stevenage MP Barbara Follett’s annual “Design a Christmas Card” competition.
Fresh Look for Community Counselling Project
11 October 2005
Barbara Follett was impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the staff at Marriotts School’s new Counselling Centre when she officially opened their new, enlarged, premises on Friday 23rd September.
A lesson in mental health
11 October 2005
Staff and service users at Turning Point Midpoint in Stevenage were delighted to welcome Barbara Follett to their premises. Midpoint is a rehabilitation service which promotes independence for people living with or overcoming mental health problems.
The world’s biggest coffee morning
4 October 2005
Barbara Follett MP joined the thousands of other Hertfordshire residents who switched their kettles on for Macmillan Cancer Relief's World's Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 30th September.
Birthday Celebrations for the Wizz Kids
4 October 2005
Barbara Follett visited Wizz Kids After-School Club to help them celebrate their 10th Anniversary. Wizz Kids is based at Moss Bury Primary School. It aims to provide a warm, friendly and stimulating environment for children aged 5-11.
School celebrates despite forthcoming closure
13 July 2005
Barbara Follett was delighted to join in the celebrations at Pin Green School on Friday 8th July. The school, which is closing at the end of this term following a review by Hertfordshire County Council, held a special Open Day to celebrate more than forty years of existence.
SAFE at last
13 July 2005
Barbara Follett was delighted to be invited to the opening of the new SAFE Community Centre. SAFE (Sish Lane Area Friendly Enterprise) is an innovative Stevenage scheme set up to promote responsible behaviour amongst neighbourhood youngsters.
Snakes alive!
8 July 2005
Barbara Follett took a walk on the wild side on Monday 27th June 2005 when she visited the Dolly Mixtures Pre-School Playgroup at Great Ashby Community Centre – meeting a snake and an iguana!
Think again about Alzheimer's
29 June 2005
Barbara Follett has expressed her support for people with dementia and their carers in Stevenage in the run up to Alzheimer’s Awareness Week. The theme of the week, which will run from July 3rd to July 9th 2005, is “Think again”, and the Alzheimer’s Society will be focusing on the issues that affect younger people with dementia.
Urging constituents to Take It On!
29 June 2005
Barbara Follett MP is supporting BBC Three Counties Radio’s “Taking It On” campaign this week. “Taking It On” aims to prepare people for living longer and working longer in the east of England.
Help to Make Poverty History
28 June 2005
Barbara Follett is urging her constituents to join her in supporting the Make Poverty History campaign in the week leading up to the Live 8 concerts on Saturday 2nd July and the G8 Summit of powerful world leaders at Gleneagles in Scotland from 6th to 8th July.
Encouraging young people to save for the future
28 June 2005
Barbara Follett officially opened Stevenage Credit Union’s Young Savers Club at Peartree Spring Junior School on Friday 24th June. The Stevenage Credit Union has set up this savings scheme to encourage children to get into the habit of saving.
Joining in the fight against retail crime
28 June 2005
Retail crime affects every community in the UK and often has a devastating impact on those who come face-to-face with it. Next week, Barbara Follett MP will be attending the British Retail Consortium’s Parliamentary Summer Reception, which has a key focus on retail crime.
'Crime doesn't pay' says MP
20 June 2005
A new law giving front-line policing a share of any criminal assets they recover has won praise from Barbara Follett MP, as latest figures revealed that Hertfordshire police netted a cash boost of over £67,000.
Barbara Follett backs Carers Week 2005
16 June 2005
Barbara Follett is lending her support to this year’s Carers Week (June 13th to 19th 2005). Carers Week is an annual event that raises awareness of carers – people who look after a sick or disabled friend, partner or relatives – and issues that affect them.
Run for the Children
14 June 2005
The third annual “Run for the Children” race at Fairlands Valley Park was started by Barbara Follett MP on Sunday 12th June 2005. Mrs Follett is Patron of “Run for the Children” – a national programme aiming to make Britain fitter by having a fitness programme in every local authority.
New shoots in Millennium Wood
30 March 2005
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett helped the Mayor, Councillor David Royall and children from the Valley School plant oak trees donated by Three Valleys Water in the town's five-year-old Millennium Wood in Fairlands Valley.
New state-of-the-art scanner for Lister Hospital
10 February 2005
Barbara Follett visited Lister Hospital on Monday 7 February to officially open their new 16-slice Siemens CT Scanner. This new scanner, which cost £480,550, enables patients to be scanned far more quickly or in far more detail than before.
Bats about badgers
2 February 2005
Barbara Follett MP praised Hertfordshire Constabulary’s former Wildlife Liaison Officer, Steve Kourik, for his efforts to preserve the County’s bats and badgers when she presented him with the Stevenage Conservation Liaison Committee’s “Ed Sones Award” at Stevenage Museum on Saturday 29th January.
A charitable silence
2 February 2005
Stevenage MP Barbara Follett visited All Saints Primary School in Datchworth on Friday 28th January to watch them taking part in “The Big Hush”, Macmillan Cancer Relief’s fundraising event for schools and children’s groups.
Land Registry's Mick Bassett commemorated
20 January 2005
David Lammy MP, the Constitutional Affairs Minister, visited the Land Registry in Stevenage on 19th January to officially open the new Customer Information and Telephone Service centres. The Customer Information Centre is called the Bassett Centre, in memory of the office's late Area Manager, Mick Bassett.
The Cleaner Communities campaign
20 January 2005
Barbara Follett backed the Government initiative to improve those aspects of the local environment that directly affect people’s quality of life. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill is currently working its way through Parliament. The Bill will help to stamp out littering, graffiti, fly posting and burnt out, abandoned cars.
Improvements all round at Barnwell
19 January 2005
Pupils and staff at Barnwell School welcomed Barbara Follett to their newly refurbished ICT and Learning Resources Centre on 14 January with the news that they had just won the title of most improved school in Hertfordshire.
Further information
Please contact Anthony Miller via the 'Contact' page, or by fax on 020 7219 1158.
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