KICKING things off this time with a small homage to some of our younger constituents.

I was delighted to visit St Minver School, where students treated me to some exceptionally thoughtful and challenging questions, a timely reminder that young people should certainly not be underestimated.

I also really enjoyed speaking to the Year 12 and 13 Politics group at Callywith College ahead of their networking lunch on April 2. Students were engaged, inquisitive, and full of intelligent questions. These networking lunches give students the opportunity to interact with a range of specialists within an occupational sector, provide insight into different job roles, while also helping students to build confidence and develop their networking skills.

Turning to my slightly older constituents, I also had the pleasure of visiting Windmill Court Care Home to help celebrate a resident’s 101st birthday, always a powerful reminder of the importance of ensuring older residents are valued, supported, and heard just as much as the young.

Over the Easter period, I’ve been delighted to attend the St Wenn Easter Community Lunch, the Wadebridge Town Hall Big Breakfast in support of Cancer Research alongside Cllr Rosie Moore, and the Blisland Village Fayre with Cllr Chris Batters.

Thank you to everyone who joined my latest “Brew with Ben” at St Eval Community Centre. These events are a fantastic opportunity to raise local issues, share concerns directly, and allow my team and me to take on casework wherever we can. Please keep an eye on my social media channels for details of the next Brew with Ben.

When it comes to representing Cornwall in the media, I recently took part in a BBC panel discussion at the Eden Project, where I spoke about the importance of securing a bespoke devolution deal for Cornwall, one that respects our unique identity and makes clear that Cornwall should not be merged with Devon simply to achieve greater powers. I will continue to press the government for a fair deal for our Duchy.

I also recently convened a meeting with Wildanet to discuss improvements to Cornwall’s connectivity and the progress being made to expand reliable broadband across our communities.That’s all for now. As ever, if you have any issues you would like to raise with me or my team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch [email protected]. Until next time, take care.