I was delighted to be given over 500 shirts left as a tribute to the late Sir Bobby Robson for the Shirts for Africa Appeal that I have launched with the Catholic Church aid agency. The church will be using all the football shirts collected to rehabilitate child soldiers back into schooling. Any spare football shirts are welcome in my office.

Sir Bobby Robson represented all that is good in this country- a man who never let fame go to his head, generous in defeat as well as victory and always prepared to put himself out for other people.

I have been in bed with the dreaded flu for several days, and missed a couple of important engagements. Better to stay in doors than spread germs about. One highlight that I was disappointed to miss was the Christchurch Christmas carol service on Sunday. I am sorry that I was unable to give one of the readings from the Gospel of John, but the theme of the relevant verses sums up Christmas: let there be light. Thank you to all our churches for what you do for our community.

I visited Rufford Care Home on Tuesday and was delighted at how standards have risen, due to better management and hard working staff. It is of concern that the local council is not putting people into the home as they were before, with 31 empty beds. Councils seem to be increasingly trying to drop their duty to the elderly and this shows just how damaging it would be to privatise or close James Hince Court and Westwood.

Has the change in quality of gritting and reductions in highways budgets led to less roads being gritted in this area in the last week? Perhaps those who work all hours gritting our roads would like to let me know whether they are being forced to provide a reduced service or not?

I see the Raleys are still wriggling and squealing. Ignore them! Anyone who has had any money deducted by Raleys or any other solicitor should see me and get your money back. It does not matter what you signed, nor whether you have kept your papers. If you went through Raleys then they took money off you and have been told to pay you back out of the £50 million that they made from the miners scheme. If in doubt ask for you money back.

As families get together this weekend to celebrate Christmas, let us hope for some good news on new jobs for this area in the New Year, and may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.