I finally managed to reply to all the residents who kindly completed surveys for us over recent weeks. Yet again leisure facilities, especially for young people, and recycling/green issues were prominent. I've also sent a long list of people to the Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator for him to contact with more information on joining. Somewhere for young people to hang around safely, being able to chat or kick a ball about without upsetting others, is a real priority but I just don't know where we're going to find a suitable space.

The latest editions of Focus for all the wards are now uploaded to the website and we're getting a number of enquiries via that route which shows that people are finding it a useful resource. I also succeeded in putting the Parish Council Newsletter up onto that site so that people can find it there. It was good to be able to escape the heat of the sun and do a little work indoors. Sunday was far too hot for April, though apparently not the hottest April on record.

On Saturday morning Durham Lane was closed off by the police for a time due to an accident. I'm always sorry to hear of accidents but didn't know any details until yesterday morning at church I discovered that the driver of the car involved was a relative of a friend. I pray that she pulls through.

The national news is full of the arguments surrounding the sale of two stories to the press after the release of the prisoners from Iran. I hope that the easy target of whether the defence secretary authorised it doesn't stop a proper investigation into why it was so easy for the Iranian forces to take prisoners in those circumstances. I should have expected better armed and protected personnel to be doing that job and if it turns out that we're still sending people into danger without proper training or equipment that's a much more important thing than who authorised the sale of the stories. It's bad enough that we allow 17 yr olds who are too young to vote to go into battle for us, but if they're not getting the best possible protection then heads should roll and fast.