On Friday, I joined the Minnie Pit commemoration steering group, the Mayor and local residents in Halmer End for a very special moment – the planting of a new “Tree of Hope” at the memorial garden. The sapling is one of 49 grown by the National Trust from seeds taken from the Sycamore Gap tree, which was illegally felled in 2023. The number of saplings reflects the height of the original tree in feet, and it’s wonderful that one of the first has now been planted here in our c

UK Parliament Week is taking place from 24–30 November , and I’m inviting everyone across the constituency to get involved. It’s an opportunity for people of all ages to find out more about how Parliament works, how decisions are made and how each one of us can participate. This year, 44 organisations across Newcastle-under-Lyme  have signed up so far. Schools, youth groups and community organisations will be using their free UKPW resource kits to host workshops, games and di

My Personally Speaking Column in The Sentinel (20 November 2025) One of the best things of being our local Member of Parliament is getting out across Newcastle-under-Lyme to meet the people and businesses that drive our local community and our local economy. In recent weeks, that’s included visits to Meighs & Westleys in Holditch and Broxap in Chesterton – two examples of the many long standing businesses rooted in our community. At Meighs & Westleys, or the Westley Group, I