EastEnders' Chelsea Fox takes a trip north

Christmas came early for me last Tuesday when I was lucky enough to meet actress Tiana Benjamin who plays Chelsea Fox in EastEnders. I'm not usually great at knowing who celebrities are but even I couldn't mistake this one, and nor could the children of Starks Field Primary School who were more than excited to see her ... as well as their brand new minibus, gifted to them by the new Asda Edmonton store, which both Tiana and I were there to help unveil. The donation - in the shape of a £26,000 Variety Club Sunshine Coach - is brilliant news for the Edmonton school, which is attended by many pupils with special needs, and will enable them to be active members in the community. I don't think they could have asked for a better Christmas present and it was great to be there to share in the moment.

And the winner is ...

This morning I was over at Raglan Junior School to announce the winner of my annual Christmas card competition. The news you've all been waiting for is that it is Melisa Koyuturk's artwork which will be featuring on my cards this year. The pupils of Edmonton have done their bit of designing a great card for me so now it's time for me to do my bit and embark on the huge task of sending them all out.

Parliament goes on its Christmas recess at the end of this week which means that the last few working days here in Westminster are busy as people try to fit in as many final meetings as possible and tie-up any loose ends. I'm looking forward a little break and will be in Edmonton for the festive period so if you see me then give me a wave!

Hi everyone! Sorry for a lack of blogs recently - a staff changeover in my office and the credit crunch have been taking up my time lately, and now Christmas is nearly here...

This week the Government made a few announcements that are going to benefit the people of Edmonton, including extra funding to support GP's surgeries staying open longer, a financial boost to support the area's ambitious house building programme, and money to allow free swimming to under 16s and over 60s from next April (so many of you will be able to get yourself down to your local pool and swim without paying a penny!).

I'm beginning to get into the spirit of Christmas a bit. My office has got its decorations up and I'm particularly looking forward to announcing the winner of my annual Christmas card competition. We had 1199 entries from a record 13 Edmonton Primary Schools and I was really impressed at all the effort people had put in. I'll give you a hint at who the winner might be ... it's someone at Raglan Junior School, but that's all I'm saying for now. You'll have to check back on Monday when I'll publish the results.