The Battle of the Giants

The 2009 Boat Race was as exciting as ever at the weekend.

It was the battle of the giants! When they weighed in at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, the Oxford crew was the heaviest in the 180 year history of the event and Cambridge was the heaviest ever Light Blue crew.

Oxford got it right on the day this year with a win... although Cambridge are still ahead with 79 wins over 75.

Everyone at the Race seemed to really it - the atmosphere, the anticipation and the ice-cream! It is such a good example of a great community event.

Photo: Mary with her godson Mal

Crime Summit in Chiswick

You are warmly invited to our Crime Summit tomorrow in Chiswick.

Date: Wednesday 25th March 2009
Time: 1230-1330
Venue: Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Chiswick, W4 4JN

Panelists:
Chris Grayling MP, Shadow Home Secretary
Superintendent Phipps, Hounslow Borough Metropolitan Police
Cllr John Todd, local Chiswick Councillor
Margaret Bourne, Victim Support
Mary Macleod, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate (chair)

The panel will be there to take your questions and dicuss any concerns you may have. This is our chance to focus on reducing crime locally together and make sure we all are safe at home, at work, on the street and in the community.

All local residents, businesses and local organisations are welcome to attend.

David Cameron's son Ivan dies

It was very sad news to hear today of David Cameron's eldest son Ivan dying in the early hours of this morning at St Mary's Hospital. Ivan, who was six years old, suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy. My thoughts and prayers are with David, Samantha, Nancy and Arthur and the extended family at this sad and difficult time.

Hearing of a death like this, reminds me how important it is that we make the most of each day. None of us, no matter what age we are, know how long we have in this world. Someone once said, "live each day as though it is your last". Sometimes we get so busy (especially me!) that we forget to "stand still and smell the roses" and enjoy each moment. We need to take time for ourselves, time for friends and family and time to reflect and remember how fortunate we are in so many ways.

Hounslow Community Reception with Baroness Warsi

Last night Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was the guest of honour at our Hounslow Community Reception, kindly hosted by the Urban Spice restaurant.

Saira Khan, an entrepreneur and former contestant in ‘The Apprentice’ introduced Sayeeda to the guests. Saira talked about her experiences of being brought up in Britain and the values of hard work, focus and determination, which have helped her get to where she is now.

In her speech, Sayeeda mentioned how important it was to work across religious and ethnic groups and bring them together in the community. She did not feel that giving government funding to just one ethnic or religious organisation helped in creating community cohesion.

In my view, government funding should be given to local councils to distribute as a Community Cohesion grant. They can decide which organisations work best locally across all religious and ethnic groups, in building a stronger society, where people of all backgrounds live, study and work closely together within their local community.

Photo 1: Mary with Saira Khan and Sayeeda Warsi

Photo 2: Mr Pankaj Makol, Mr & Mrs Neeraj Makol and Mr Jaz Walia with Mary Macleod and Sayeeda Warsi at the Urban Spice restaurant, 159 Hanworth Road, Hounslow

Visit to the local Mosque

I had a lovely visit recently to the Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre on Wellington Road South.

Tony Arbour AM, Cllr Mark Bowen, Cllr Barbara Reid, Christine Quick and Fauad Hafeez from Hounslow Central and Ranjiv Godfrey from Hounslow Heath also joined me there.

We were given a tour of the Centre and met the teachers and children of the school that is within the Centre. It was really interesting to get an insight into a Community Mosque and hear about the work that they do.

My thanks to all those who invited us there and made us feel so welcome.

Photo: Mary (centre) with Cllr Barbara Reid, Cllr Mark Bowen, Tony Arbour AM, Dr Mobhin, Mr A Majid, Mr Riaz Butt, Mr Saleem and Mr Karamat Malik.

Government give go-ahead for Third Runway

Last week, the Government gave the go-ahead for a Third Runway at Heathrow.

This shows clearly that they have not listened to local people and that they do not care at all for the local environment. As Theresa Villiers, the Shadow Transport Secretary warned, “A third runway at Heathrow would inflict devastating damage to the environment and to the quality of life of millions of people and the Conservatives will fight them every step of the way.”

An increase of 222,000 extra flights a year will have a major impact of residents, and I, with Theresa, will continue to fight the Government's plans.

If you have been a Labour voter in the past but are against a Third Runway at Heathrow, please now vote for the Conservatives... so that we can stop these plans from being implemented.

Every child with £17k debt thanks to Labour

George Osborne has just launched a poster campaign to highlight that every child in Britain is born owing £17,000 because of Labour’s Debt Crisis.

The stark reality is that under Labour, Britain’s national debt is set to double to over one trillion pounds in just five years. This will have to be paid back. Families will have to work longer and harder as they are facing a bill of more than £2,000 just to pay the interest on this debt.

Gordon Brown promised us no boom and bust......but what have we now got? Exactly that.

As a country, we need change now. We need a change for the better... before Gordon Brown does any more damage.