Opinion: Ready for my first King’s message

Christmas is a special time. A time to be with family, friends and loved ones. To worship, give and reflect.

We all have our traditions at Christmas, family meals, Christmas Eve drinks, school plays and nativities (my daughter unfortunately didn’t get the part playing one of the lobsters this year).

Whatever your traditions, this year Christmas Day will be different. For the first time in 70 years, and most of our lives, the nation will tune in to watch the King’s Christmas message at 3 o’clock and not the Queen’s.

The broadcast by the Queen was always watched by millions of people around the world. It became a tradition to watch for many on Christmas day as Queen Elizabeth’s reign saw the transition from radio to television.

It was a testament to her astonishing 70 years of service.

During the Christmas Holidays there are many service men / women and key workers that show a similar display of devotion.

Doctors, nurses, police officers, army personnel and many other industries such as retail and hospitality all work over the Christmas period to keep the country functioning.

I will be thinking of those workers over the Christmas period as they look after our loved ones and keep us all safe.

This year, I will also be thinking of those less fortunate in Ukraine. As Putin’s war goes on, many are without their loved ones, homes or heating and I will be praying for a speedy and peaceful end to that horrendous conflict.

We are thankfully completely back to some sense of normality over Christmas. No calls for lockdowns. No compulsory masks, and hospitality is able to operate as normal with no restrictions.

It’s easy to take this for granted, but families can once again travel as they please to see one another and we can all enjoy the holiday period freely again.

None the less, I’ve said it so many times before and I will keep saying it: Peterborough is a city on the up. 2023 will be a fantastic year for our city, my column just last week highlighted some of the amazing things that have been going on in our city over the last three years.

We are cracking down on crime with 145 extra police officers on the streets across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.

We are getting tough on fly tippers and cleaning up our city.

Our new university is bringing lots of new opportunities and helping us create a high skilled local economy.

After a short break over the Christmas period, re-charging the batteries, I will get back to shouting about all the great things Peterborough has to offer, locally and at Westminster.

But for now, I will enjoy some much-needed time relaxing with my family.

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and as always, myself and my team are here. If anyone needs support over the holiday period, please get in touch with my office – [email protected]