Despite the fantastic weather once again, you could be forgiven for spending much of this last fortnight not outside, but glued to the television, with a thrilling last weekend of sport hosted across our country!
Disappointment at Wimbledon, with hopes dashed of a British singles win, was quickly overcome with a double British podium for the first time this century at the British Grand Prix and victory for England to keep the Ashes alive!
Of course, at the grassroots level too we need to ensure that all our young people continue to have places to play sports, have fun, and stay healthy. I am so glad that our area has recently received thousands of pounds in funding to regenerate and upgrade our local sport facilities.
Two tennis courts in Grantham’s Wyndham Park have now been refurbished after securing a share of £30 million investment by the Government and the Lawn Tennis Association. Now managed by the Grantham Tennis Club, the courts benefit from an online booking system and digital access gates, to make getting onto court easy and secure.
This follows recent confirmation that six local sports teams based in Stamford, Colsterworth, Bourne, and Grantham have themselves secured thousands in national funding to support their clubs with new goalposts and floodlights.
While it is important to have local facilities for local use, I also want to attract tourists to stay in our hotels, experience our history, and spend money in our high streets. So I was pleased to offer my support to Destination Lincolnshire for their plan to work with local and national stakeholders to promote the Lincolnshire brand. It was also great to discuss future tree planting and conservation efforts with the Woodland Trust, with our local environment being one of our most treasured local assets.
Moreover, to make it easier for tourists to reach our area and - crucially - to improve safety and connectivity for local people, I shared the feedback I received after writing to tens of thousands of local people on this issue so far, I recently reiterated to National Highways, who are directly responsible for the A1, that the majority still share my concerns over crossovers and the length of the slip roads.
We have made significant progress, with over £4 million announced just last year for our stretch of the A1 alone. Overall, our section of the A1 has received significantly more funding per mile than almost any other road in the Midlands, but I will keep raising awareness and pushing for even greater funding into the future.
It has been a busy fortnight, but I am encouraged by the positive progress we are making in areas that matter to many local people.
