MY FIRST INDIAN WEDDING

Yesterday I attended my first Indian Hindu wedding. My friend and I arrived late but apparently Indian weddings often run late and it started after we arrived. The ceremony was very long and we were invited to go and eat while it was still going on - very different from an English wedding! The bride wore red and gold and all the Indian ladies were dressed in saris but most of the Indian men wore English suits. A truly fascinating experience.

My victory as 2008 Bedford Youth Champion was publicised on the Beds on Sunday website and Chiltern Radio and I received compliments from 2 former Bedford Youth Champions, Andrew McConnell and Peter Hand, both Conservative Councillors.
Thank you Andrew for your Blog article on Blogging for Bedford

Sadly my week was overshadowed by the death of my 93 year old aunt in Portsmouth so I have a funeral on Friday. Aunt Erina was in poor health for months but lived a long and interesting life, which we shall celebrate at Portsmouth Cathedral.

TWO MORE EVICTIONS FROM "I'M A COUNCILLOR"

Two more Borough Councillors have been evicted from "I'm A Councillor Get Me Out of Here!" - Conservative Mark Smith and Liberal Democrat Henry Rogers. There are only 2 Councillors left in the contest and one of them is me!

Today I chatted online to Hastingsbury Upper School and John Bunyan Upper School students. I also met 5 students from St. Thomas More Catholic Upper School who came to observe the County Council meeting, where I sit next to the Council Chairman as his Vice Chairman. I asked Cllr Peter Hollick, the new Cabinet Member for Community Services a question about Bedfordshire Music during the meeting.

After lunch and an online session replying to more student questions - 102 questions answered so far! - I took part in a lively Political Speed Dating event with students from 5 schools, including Hastingsbury, Biddenham and St. Thomas More. Afterwards I had an interview with Chiltern Radio about Local Democracy Week.

Tomorrow early afternoon I will meet Youth Parliament Members who are presenting a transport petition. They have been allocated £50,000 to spend on various transport projects and have been conducting research over the past few months.

As a twinhatted County/Borough Councillor I am the only contestant who has made an official school visit and taken part in the County events, including Speed Dating and have engaged with a large number of students from 6 Upper Schools.

Young people reading this Blog - this is your last chance to vote for me. Tomorrow at 3pm Bedford's 2008 Youth Champion will be announced. Watch this space.........

2ND EVICTION FROM "I'M A COUNCILLOR" CONTEST

Cllr Judith Cunningham a Liberal Democrat was the 2nd Councillor to be evicted this afternoon from "I'm A Councillor Get Me Out of Here!" leaving 4 Councillors in the contest - 3 men and me.

Today I had an interesting online discussion with students at Biddenham School, and was in the middle of being bombarded with questions when I had an urgent call to go into County Hall to chair a Trade Union meeting. I had given my apologies but the TU Chairman was sick, so my attendance was requested. The students were a lively group, as were the John Bunyan students on Monday and I would be proud to be the Youth Champion for Bedford where our school exam results are improving rapidly.

The Mayor of Bedford recently denigrated Bedford Schools yet again, which is demoralising for students and teachers in our 7 Upper Schools. Judging by my visit to John Bunyan School on Monday all our GCSE students have to work very hard to gain their examination successes. They do not need the Mayor belittling their efforts and destroying their often fragile self confidence.

On Thursday I have another online discussion with students at Hastingsbury School - if I am still in the contest by then! Also that day after attending a County Full Council meeting I shall be engaged in Political Speed Dating which will be fun.

BBC 3 COUNTIES RADIO INTERVIEW

GOOD MORNING ALL!

I have just been interviewed by Stephen Rhodes on BBC 3 Counties Radio for 8 minutes - a long time by radio standards. The interview was about Local Democracy Week and I'm A Councillor Get Me Out of Here! and went out live at 6.20am - a bit early for most people - and was repeated later in the morning.

Stephen Rhodes has a reputation as a tough interviewer but he allowed me free rein because I knew my subject well. Steve asked me about the contest and local politics and I mentioned my John Bunyan Upper School visit three times in the interview.

Today I am going back to school on "Take Your Councillor to School" day and will be shadowing a student at 4 lessons at John Bunyan Upper School - Maths, ICT, Science and PSHE - Personal,Social and Health Education. Last week Toby Reid, Head of Humanties had a Citizenship Class in PSHE. Toby and his students asked me several questions online. I have had 80 questions from the nine Bedford Borough Schools involved in Im A Councillor Get Me Out of Here - more than any other candidate.

Today the first Councillor will be voted off. I aim to survive and become Bedford's 2008 Youth Champion. I am the only "twinhatted" candidate out of the 6 Councillors, ie I am both a County and Borough Councillor and the only one who is taking part in the school vists and the Political Speed Dating on Thursday.

I'M COUNCILLOR GET ME OUT OF HERE!

My apologies for not giving you an update earlier this week, but I have been out every night and busy all day. Technically I am a pensioner but have 3 part time jobs and various voluntary activities, eg school governor which sometimes all clash!

Monday/Tuesday I had a 2-day employment tribunal, Tuesday I had a breakfast HR meeting at Elstow Lower School before the tribunal and in the evening Elstow Parish Council meeting. On Wednesday I had to chair the County Council Children's Services Committee in the absence of the Chairman. After lunch I dashed to my dentist in Lethcworth 20 miles away for an emergency repair of a tooth broken on a sweet. Then I went to an evening Borough Council Full Council meeting, where I made a speech on an Olympic Games/free swimming motion. Thursday I had a new hair cut and went to more meetings and answered dozens of emails.

I'm A Councillor ... Get Me Out of Here update
Somehow I have managed to answer 63 on line questions from Upper School students in 4days - more than any of the other 5 Councillors in the Contest. The questions were on a wide range of topics including crime, buses, recycling, social facilities for young people, drugs, local politics and what did I do when I was a child!

I did manage to squeeze in a Monday evening theatre visit to see a fantastic performance of "Evita" at Milton Keynes and a Mid Beds Conservative Conservative Dinner last night, hosted by Nadine Dorries our MP, with an excellent speech from Greg Hand MP for Hammersmith/Fulham.

Today I have been to 2 County Council meetings, one for Bedfordshire Music. On Saturday morning I will conduct my regular surgery in Elstow before heading north to the Midlands to babysit my 2 small grandchildren.

Never a dull moment!