The Maltcast

In the first of my series of place-based podcasts, I am in Whitchurch, a town in the south of my constituency on the banks of the Test. I am joined by Cllr Tracy Woodruff, the Mayor of Whitchurch and Lucie Follett Maitland who runs the Conservation Group for the town — and we discuss their work on issues such as housing and infrastructure, boosting the local economy, and protecting our precious river. 

Fascinating to catch-up with Professor Keith Humphreys, Ester Ting Memorial Professor at Stanford University and public policy advisor, on what we must do to win the war on drugs. 

One of my missions as policing minister is to put an end to county lines - the horrific crime in which gangs use children to transport drugs. Whilst our police are doing an excellent job in going after the criminals (we've seen more than 7,400 arrests since 2019), I am equally proud of the 4,000-odd people — mainly children — that have been rescued from exploitation. I'm joined in this episode by Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams from the BTP County Lines Taskforce and James Simmonds-Read who manages the exploitation prevention programme at the Children’s Society.

Back in February just before the Covid pandemic hit, I had visited the newsroom of an Andover institution - the great Andover Advertiser. Did you know the paper is over 100 years old, they have a small and exceptionally hard working team, and some 57,000 people are glued to it every week! I caught up with Editor Katie and Reporter Ryan and we discussed how the paper has changed over the years, some of their most popular stories and more!

Coronavirus has catapulted our schools into the new world of tech. Winton Academy in Andover is getting used to virtual lessons, navigating exams and maintaining their sense of identity through regular quizzes and assemblies. Headteacher Nathan Thomas joins us in this episode - he has been instrumental in this effort, he’s moving on after a successful stint leading the school, and he’ll soon be overseeing four schools at the Academies Enterprise Trust where his task will be to drive standards up.

Ocado is doing an incredible job locally during this COVID crisis. They are keeping Andover fed despite the huge surge in demand, rebuilding their Andover warehouse after the tragic fire, and they remain a big employer in the area - all while adapting to keep staff and customers safe. Allan Carruthers fills us on their mammoth efforts.

Meet Sarah. Sarah's a Tadley resident who helped set up a COVID19 help group by matching people who need help with volunteers - all through the power of technology. Together they've helped over 120 people in the past week alone with errands such as prescriptions, shopping and dog walking. 

Dmitrijs, as our Member of Youth Parliament (MYP), is doing a super job representing young people in North West Hampshire. Young people are facing an especially challenging time right now with coronavirus resulting in cancellation of their exams and uncertainty to their lessons and social life. It was good to catch up with Dmitrijs about this and more. Once again forgive the audio quality, we’re recording these episodes remotely to keep everyone safe.

Did you know our well loved Andover War Memorial Hospital has so far stayed COVID-19 free, taken on lots of antenatal services and small operations, AND the first patients have now moved into the new hospice building there. I discussed this and much more with Alex Whitfield from Hampshire Hospitals. 

Veterans in Action is an outstanding organisation supporting ex-armed forces personnel - now they’re supporting us all. Billy MacLeod joins me in my latest community podcast to explain how Veterans in Action have been getting food, medicines and support to the people who need it most during the coronavirus crisis.