Each year Mike Penning will nominate a local charity which he will support and promote throughout the year.

Mike Penning, the hard working new MP for Hemel Hempstead constituency, last week announced that his Charity of the year for 2005 is to be the Hospice of St Francis, based in Berkhamsted. Each year Mike plans to nominate a specific charity as his Charity of the Year and will do all he can to promote and sponsor that charity throughout the year. Mike said “There are so many worthwhile charitable causes locally that there is a danger that my efforts may become diluted, dissipated and unfocussed. I have decided to concentrate my resources on one main charity each year. This year I have chosen The Hospice of St Francis because I greatly admire the work that it does and the service that it provides to our local community. Their plans to build a larger facility are well advanced and I plan to do what I can to help them raise the £millions that they need to complete the development. Sadly, our government do not adequately fund palliative care, leaving the burden to charities and voluntary groups. It is my intention to publicise the excellent work that The Hospice of St Francis does and to raise as much money as I can for them.”

Mike’s plans for ‘help’ include a fund raising dinners and luncheons, promotion on his web site and a soon to be announced “Coppers for St Francis” collection campaign.