It is always a proud moment as an MP when a local business in the constituency is recognised with a national award. Everyone in South Wiltshire will be extremely familiar with Reeve the Baker and it was great news on Wednesday when they won the prestigious award for best craft bakery in the UK at the Baking Industry Awards.
I already had a meeting pencilled in the diary for this morning with their Managing Director, so it was good timing to congratulate Gary in person! As well as admiring their new award - and some excellent muffins! - we had an excellent discussion on what more we can do to support their business, both at Westminster and here locally.
It was then back to Morrison Hall in Salisbury for a meeting with Jo King and Andrew Lord from Alabare along with Robin McGowan from Salisbury BID to discuss how best to support the charity shop sector on Catherine Street. With the recent welcome news that Salisbury has been added to the list of eligible cities for the government's Future High Streets Fund, we have a great opportunity to boost the city centre. I encouraged them to tie in their proposals to the overall strategy to make sure we have a joined-up approach with the best chance of securing funding.
