Dear <<First Name>>

After airlifting 15,000 people to safety in two weeks, I pay tribute to our military personnel and all those who worked with them in Afghanistan, and at home, who worked 24/7 to make this possible.   

Afghanistan was certainly spoken about all around the constituency this Bank Holiday weekend where I had a full three days of engagements meeting and greeting people and enjoying the cultural and sports events and festivals we have here. 

One of the highlights included a celebration of diversity at Willingdon Trees Community Centre. There was music, art, food, children’s activity and lots of good conversations. The wonderful Hampden Park Shed, which I visited in May, donated arts and craft materials. It was a great event to bringing people together and recognising the truth that we all have so much in common than anything that divides us. 
 

I don’t remember a busier Bank Holiday, much is highlighted below, but time has already moved swiftly on with September’s big ‘Back to School’.  

I’ve written to our primary schools to ask them to nominate a Child to represent Eastbourne and Willingdon for the Children’s Virtual Parliament. This event, sponsored by Microsoft and Wakelet, is taking place on Friday 29th October.  

It is being organised ahead of the COP26 Climate Change Conference to be held in Glasgow. It will give children the chance to debate issues relating to climate change, with some time also dedicated to other issues such as COVID-19 and technology.  

It will be a ‘first past the post election’, so the first school to get their nomination to me will be duly elected! 

LATERAL FLOW TESTS - OUR NEW NORMAL
Where to pick them up and how to do the test.

Our vaccination programme is rightly a big driver in getting back to normality but so is testing and we need to make it as normal as brushing our teeth to protect our progress against the virus and community transmission. 

Recent openings will inevitably mean more cases, but free testing for those without symptoms is an important new line of defence to protect our recovery.  I now TEST regularly.  It is pretty easy and comforting to see a negative result when so many can have the virus without symptoms.  You still have to keep the usual safety measures but it feels good to step out knowing.

 Testing will help us
 Keep on the roadmap to freedom
 Stop the spread
 Protect the NHS

TESTS: Now available free to all without symptoms and you can do  at home, order online or collect locally.

You can get a pack of 7 tests sent to your home. Order rapid lateral flow home test kits on GOV.UK
If you do tests at home, you'll need to report your results online or on the phone.

The video below explains how to do the test.

Community Collect Site

 A.E. Pharma Limited, 11 Grand Hotel Buildings, Compton Street, BN21 4EJ - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 A & S Shillam Limited, 82 Seaside,  BN22 7QP - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Asda, Crumbles Harbour Village, BN23 6JH - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Boots, Princes Park Health Ctr, Wartling Road, BN22 7PG - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Day Lewis, 2 Furness Road, BN21 4EY - Test site for people with no symptoms - a booking is required

 Day Lewis, 10 Freshwater Square, BN22 0PS - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Osbon Medicals Limited, 116-118 Cavendish Place,  BN21 3TZ - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Tesco Stores, Lottbridge Drove, BN23 6QD - Pick up site - for at home test kits

You can find further details 
at   https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/#/location/Eastbourne

And finally...

Highlights this week include a meeting with Greenpeace on the high seas and a trip to East Sussex College to hear more about their  ‘Hospitality Rocks Swap’. This morning I will be attending a Macmillon coffee morning in Kingsmere. More about these next week.

Monday sees me travel up to Westminster as Parliament returns to the House. I will, of course, be back in Eastbourne later in the week and look forward to meeting many more people from the town.

Until then, take care and with my best,