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Mr Oli Khan, who is managing director and executive chef at the Surma in Stevenage Old Town was congratulated by Stevenage MP, Stephen McPartland, on being awarded the national Business Acheivement Award. Mr Khan was recognised as the best achiever in Business and Community Relations by Curry Life Magazine.

Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, said,  “I am very proud of the recognition given to Oli with this award. It is very well deserved as he is well known locally for his tremendous work with charities and community development.  I am very proud of the community spirit we have in Stevenage with so many local people giving something back and this is another fantastic example."

Oli Khan said, “To receive this award is a huge honour. It makes me very proud and motivates me to work even harder, not only for business, also community work, which brings enormous joy and satisfaction to myself.”

The UK-based Curry Life Magazine known for promoting entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry hosted hundreds of British Asian Business Leaders for the Curry Life Business Achievement Awards ceremony, with Awards given to 21 entrepreneurs, including Mr Khan.

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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, visited the ground at Codicote where Codicote Football Club is aiming to return after 5 years away from their home, having just secured planning permission for the necessary works, including floodlights and new stand, with the help of the Parish council.

Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, said, "I am delighted Codicote FC is coming home and it is a testament to the great sporting tradition in the village. The hardwork of the volunteers and all those who support the team has made this dream possible and I look forward to watching Codicote FC playing in Codicote."

Jim Bundy, Chairman of Codicote FC, “It has been a long road but this is a major step forward and we could not have done this without support from the Parish council but, as they say, the hard work starts here. We, the club, will need to raise a percentage of the £75,000 an estimated £20,000, while we also approach local and national funding partners to move the project forward at pace. We are determined to bring a high level of Football back to the village.”

The Club now has full planning permission from NHDC for the erection of floodlights and a new stand which will meet Football Association facility grading to bring the Spartan South Midlands Football League to Codicote for the first time in the Club's 100 year history. The project will support the progress of the expanding youth football section into senior Football and with the build of the new Sport and Social Centre well under way this will see Codicote as a first rate facility in North Hertfordshire for all sports in the village. Codicote FC will now look for support from both local and national organisation to raise the estimated £75,000.

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Stevenage's next National Citizen Service programme is running at half-term, and local MP, Stephen McPartland is encouraging local 15 – 17 year olds to sign up for the course which is designed to help young people prepare for their future by equipping them with the skills and confidence they need to achieve.

Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage said, “I’m really pleased to hear that NCS is coming to Stevenage again this year.

“Last year I attended a community project run by a team of young people on the programme, and I was really impressed with what I saw. They were working hard at Trotts Hill Primary to create a fantastic nature area for the school’s young pupils. It was great to see the group’s organisation, enthusiasm and team work – everyone mucked in and the end result was brilliant.

“NCS is the perfect chance for young people to really stand out from the crowd on their CVs and university applications. It teaches skills that help young people with their future, and I urge every young person to get involved.”

After an exciting trip to an outward bounds activity centre, young people will attend exclusive workshops that teach key skills for work and life. They will then work together to design their very own project that benefits the local community.

For more information, visit www.ncseast.co.uk or call 0845 460 7410.

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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, was pleased to welcome Tina Jarman, Headteacher of Broom Barns Community Primary School and Chair of Stevenage Primary School Headteachers to Parliament. They attended the launch of the Youth Sport Trust “Unlocking Potential” Manifesto, to ensure every child has access to high quality PE and sport at school.

Stephen McPartland MP, who has pledged to be a School Sport Champion, said, “I believe in the power of PE and school sport, because it gives children a chance to express themselves and teaches great discipline and teamwork. PE and school sport are also a vital tool for helping us combat the growing crisis of inactivity, as they help young people stay fit and healthy. I will continue to champion its benefits both here in Parliament and with headteachers and young people in Stevenage.”

Tina Jarman, Headteacher of Broom Barns Community Primary School, said, “My role as a Headteacher advocate for PE and as Chair of Stevenage Primary Head’s group is to work with colleagues and schools to ensure all pupils receive high quality PE and sports, both within the curriculum and beyond. It is so important for all our pupils to be active and make healthy lifestyle choices which have been proven to benefit physical health, emotional and mental well-being."

PE and school sport provides numerous benefits for young people as it improves physical and mental health, builds resilience, creates active habits for life and boosts academic achievement.

Only 21% of boys and 16% of girls are currently doing the amount of physical activity they need to stay healthy and too many children are living inactive lifestyles, damaging both their health and their ability to succeed. “Unlocking Potential: A Manifesto for PE and School Sport” argues that prioritising PE and school sport gives the opportunity to improve our nations’ health and boost our education and sporting prospects.

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The campaign for a Satellite Radiotherapy Unit took a step closer with a debate in Parliament led by local MPs Stephen McPartland and Sir Oliver Heald.

Speaking in the debate Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage said, "The local Lister hospital in Stevenage is part of the same trust as Mount Vernon. The chief executive and the cancer surgeons of the local hospital support the concept of a satellite radiotherapy unit, so the local NHS supports having such a unit in Stevenage, or nearby in Hertfordshire. The issue we have is with NHS England getting on and commissioning it. The problem is that we cannot understand how the NHS is getting travel times of 45 minutes."

"NHS England has refused us on several occasions. We keep pushing, so we would be grateful if the Minister could persuade it to accept the offer to embark on our road trip."

The Minister, Jane Ellison, responded in the debate, "I have certainly picked up from the debate the importance of the issue of travel times. I will make a particular point of drawing that to NHS England’s attention.

"It is always heartening to hear that colleagues are so engaged with their local health leaders as to be working together on such things.... It sounds like a real commitment to fighting cancer in their part of the country. I commend them."

Stephen McPartland MP added afterwards, "The massive investment in the Lister Hospital is clear for all to see and the staff are rapidly turning our local hospital into a centre of clinical excellence. I believe we must move cancer services closer to people’s homes and I am delighted at the new facilities for Chemotherapy, which are being provided by the recently opened Lister Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre.

"However, it is unacceptable that cancer patients in Stevenage have to travel to Mount Vernon Hospital in London to receive radiotherapy treatment, which is a very difficult journey and is required to be made many times during the course of treatment. I will keep campaigning hard to demonstrate that there is a real need for a satellite radiotherapy unit based at the Lister Hospital."

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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, is backing an appeal from Cancer Research UK to raise awareness of the need for earlier diagnosis.

Stephen McPartland MP said, “I am backing the Cross Cancer Out campaign because it is vital we detect Cancer earlier to improve survival rates. Research into cancer is making huge advances in the battle against the disease, but the number of people being diagnosed is set to rise.

"I was proud to help open the new Lister Macmillan Cancer Centre, a £3 million project which enhances our cancer treatment facilities locally. I will continue my campaigns for a satellite Radiotherapy Unit at our local hospital, and to improve access and outcomes for cancer patients."

World Cancer Day is highlighting the need to strengthen NHS cancer services so they can cope with a growing and ageing population. It is  clear there is a looming demand for better diagnostics, treatments, and earlier diagnosis as the population gets older.

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Stephen McPartland MP is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health in Parliament and led the debate there yesterday.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "Respiratory disease, affects one in five people in the UK, is responsible for about 1 million hospital admissions and costs the NHS almost £5 billion a year. It is also the third biggest cause of death in the UK. It is the poor relation compared with the investment that goes into tackling the other four big conditions. To put that into context, in 2012, respiratory disease killed 80,000 people - that does not include lung cancer, which killed an additional 35,500 people.

"The UK also has the highest mortality rate for respiratory disease among the OECD nations, double that of countries such as Poland and Germany and treble that of countries such as Estonia and Finland. Sadly, the worst thing about those statistics is that many of the deaths would be preventable with the right care. I understand and welcome the announcement by the Secretary of State that he is making it a priority for NHS England to prevent people from dying prematurely from respiratory disease. His ambition is to make us one of the best in Europe for survival rates by improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment. That is a very big statement and a huge aspiration when we are talking about reducing respiratory deaths in this country by almost two thirds.

"I want to focus my remarks predominantly on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - known as COPD - which together affect almost 6 million people in the UK, including me. I am chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on respiratory health. With the support of Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, we conducted an inquiry into respiratory deaths in an effort to help the Government and the NHS to understand why so many people are dying from these conditions and what can be done to prevent that."

To read the full speech from Stephen click here:

If you would like to know more about why Stephen called for the debate in Parliament, please take a look here.

Please click here if you would like to read the Report into Respiratory Deaths, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health.

 Click here if you would like to help Stephen make a difference

 Click here if you would like to help Stephen make a difference