I REALLY enjoyed going to Piddlehinton fete the weekend before last. A really enjoyable
event and one that is at the heart of village community.

I remember organising the church fete in Holwell when I was 15 to raise money for the church tower! How time flies.

Very unusually, I have attended three farewells in quick succession for esteemed headteachers this last week or so and I am very sorry to see them leave us in Sherborne.

Nicki Edwards, the headteacher of the Gryphon School and Ann Marie Kampf, the headteacher of Sherborne Abbey Primary, along with the Abbey School’s deputy, Jason Howells.

All three have given tremendous service to us and our children in and around Sherborne.

They have achieved wonderful things for our community, and I am very sorry to see them leave us and send them all my enormous thanks for their work here in our community and our best wishes for their next chapter.

On Thursday last week, I visited Dorset County Hospital (DCH) and was delighted to meet so many doctors, nurses and other staff throughout the hospital.

During my time as your MP, I’ve been very supportive of our county hospital, and getting tens of millions of investment into DCH, and was very pleased to see in action work to the
emergency department taking shape with the demolition of the old Damers School site.

Parliament rose for summer recess last week and it’s always nice to be able to spend more time here at home in the constituency and see people.

Just before we ‘broke-up’ last week, significant progress was made towards banning single-use plastics – a campaign I have actively championed since my election in 2019.

The Environmental Protection Regulations 2023 for England will restrict the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays, and will ban the supply of single-use plastic
cutlery, balloon sticks and polystyrene food and drink containers, including cups.

I am very pleased to be directly involved in advancing this secondary legislation through Parliament, and it has been exciting to work alongside my colleagues who are equally passionate about making a change in this area.

It is clear legislation is needed to support and ensure that all businesses move to more sustainable alternatives to single use plastics.

Ongoing voluntary action is having an impact, but regulation is needed, not least because we have so much plastic waste that as a country we are continuing to ship abroad for processing – something I strongly believe needs to end.

This ban is expected to be enforced from October 2023 and I will continue to push for this outcome.

CHRIS LODER
Conservative MP for West Dorset