Last Friday I hosted my third of Blyth Valley Apprenticeships Fair with the DWP at Concordia Leisure Centre in Cramlington. Supported by over 30 of the region’s best employers, almost 400 visitors attended the fair, many of them young people. I'm sure that over the next few months dozens of people will make a start in or a change to an exciting new career as a direct result of attending the fair. I’d like to publicly offer huge thanks to the DWP and the all of the employers for making the effort to attend and showing what excellent opportunities there are locally.
The day before we hosted a visit by Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Employment, to the Offshore Renewable Energy catapult in Blyth in the morning and another visit by Clare Coutinho, Secretary of State for Energy Security to EDF Energy at the Port of Blyth. We then had a trip out on a boat around an offshore wind farm in the North Sea off the coast of Blyth. It was a fascinating visit but I don’t have sea legs and I was glad to be back on dry land at the end.
Two Secretaries of State visiting Blyth Valley in the same day must be unprecedented and it demonstrates the Government's commitment to our area. They see the potential we have in the renewable energy sector and are supporting people here with investments to create more jobs and more opportunity.
I tend to stay away from pure politics in this column, but I have not been impressed with events in the Labour Party in recent days. Keir Starmer's initial support for his candidate in Rochdale is a real worry and demonstrates that nothing much has really changed in their party. Anybody holding those views should not be allowed to stand for parliament. Mr Starmer’s claim to have acted decisively was laughable when he finally withdrew his support for the candidate making those appalling comments.
This week is English Tourism week, a great opportunity to get out and about and see what’s on your doorstep. For starters, I’d recommend a walk along the beach from Blyth to Seaton Sluice or a visit to Seaton Delaval Hall or to Northumberlandia. There’s lots more in Blyth Valley of course.
