The European Elections were nowhere near as terrible for Labour in Reading West as elsewhere with a strong performance being recorded in many of the wards in my constituency. There is very little read across between the Euros and the General Election and I will remember us losing badly in the 1999 Euro poll before winning well in the subsequent general election in 2001. Although I’m not standing at the next election I would warn my political opponents not to be too smug or complacent about the outcome. My constituency has consistently bucked the national trend and can do so again.

I will miss many things when I step down and I was reminded of a few of them last week. One of my most satisfying campaigns was working with the amazing Brigid Parkes in saving a Berkshire children’s reading charity from closure. We set up our own organisation to continue providing reading help for Berkshire’s children and now ABC to Read, some five years later, is a thriving organisation with new staff, a new chair, but still with my Slough colleague Fiona Mactaggart MP and myself as patrons. Last Friday it was my privilege to attend and speak at their AGM and to say goodbye to a few old friends and colleagues.

On Saturday I ended up charging all over the place with the place with the opening of Battle Library and engagements at the Dee Park Fun Day, at the Carers Centre, and Waterloo Meadows in Katesgrove. I started out in public life in Reading working on children’s projects in Katesgrove and Coley and I well remember the local papers having a go at me when I was the chair of the Council’s Leisure Committee for spending £250,000 on a state of the art log cabin which became the first ever Children’s Centre in Reading.

Time has moved on and people recognise the value of providing comprehensive pre-school, after-school and nursery facilities. Back in the 1980s this was not always the case and it was a real pleasure for me to spend time at the weekend catching up with some of the doughty and distinguished old campaigners who were such effective champions for their communities.

Finally, can I disappoint the local Tories by stating that I survived the charity abseil on Sunday from the top of The Blade. But I would like to thank all my sponsors for helping me raise £600 for Children with Leukaemia.