The Stroud MP's weekly column.

MANY thanks to everyone who paid their respects on Remembrance Sunday and to the organisers. Some were able to do so in person at socially distanced events across Stroud, the Valleys and Vale, others in their living room watching the national commemoration on television or via a live stream of a local service.

I very much enjoyed attending the Stonehouse ceremony that was kindly live streamed by St Cyr’s church for those who couldn’t attend. It is always a poignant day when we honour our war dead from many, many conflicts.

Later I placed a wreath at the war memorial in my village of Frampton on Severn to have a quiet moment there. We have Parliament wreaths in Stroud, Dursley and Nailsworth too. Remembrance Sunday also came just a week or so after the important Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) bill was passed in parliament.

I was pleased to see the government unveil a package of measures to help lower income families and children through the pandemic and into next year. Councils will now be able to spend £170 million, including £1.5 million for Gloucestershire County Council, to help support families with food and bills until March through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme.

Other help through the holiday food and activities programme for disadvantaged children means the package is worth £400 million.

While I worked locally throughout my maternity leave, I returned to Westminster and on my first day I asked the Prime Minister whether Stroud could move out of lockdown and into its original Tier 1 Covid designation if infection remains low. The answer was yes. I will keep fighting for this as returning to the regional approach should mean we can pick up key trade in the run-up to Christmas.