John Penrose MP

I'M DISCOVERING that you never get bored in this job. Last week parliament had yet another recess- the Government seems to think MPs should spend more time out of Westminster than in it - so my diary was filled with a huge variety of appointments around Weston.For example on Monday I went to the National Childbirth Trust's new Nip In & Natter session at BarCode. It's a great place for parents to recharge their batteries if they're in town with kids, and new dads like me can learn from more experienced parents too.Later in the week I went to the grandly-titled Economic Development and Regeneration Summit, where the council unveiled its plans to attract more investment to Weston. The plans looked good, but the acid test will come when hard-nosed business people decide to move their offices and factories to Weston instead of other towns in the South West. As I was leaving I spoke to a representative of one of Britain's largest property developers. He said Weston feels like it's open for business at last. Amen to that.If regenerating Weston is tough, try dealing with the problems which the Sure Start conference was discussing on the Bournville. They grapple with some of the most difficult problems of poor housing, family breakdown, addiction and debt, but the conference was upbeat, enthusiastic and determined to make a difference. Even if they only help a few more families to succeed, their work will have been worthwhile.And finally, on Friday morning, I kept over 100 hungry businesspeople from their breakfast. I was speaking to them about revitalising Weston, and everyone had to wait until I'd finished before we could eat. I realised I'd get lynched by a hungry mob if I went on too long, but maybe all MPs should learn the same lesson!