I ran 16 miles on Sunday evening for the first time in a number of months. I completed that distance in the knowledge that the 2015 London Marathon is only eight weeks away – and I have just chosen the two charities that I will be running in aid of.

Last Saturday the vast majority of junior and senior football fixtures were called off across the Vale of Glamorgan despite just one day of rain, albeit heavy. This is unfortunately a common conversation I have with parents during the winter months and it must be addressed.

It is not very often that I meet a local resident over the age of a hundred, never mind two in the same room. But that is exactly what I did at a recent visit to Victoria Park Community Centre. I haven’t had as much fun in a long time, and I met so many wonderful people who were all so welcoming.

Gem readers will be aware of the priority to regenerate Barry Island.  It is a fantastic resort that deserves to be revitalised.  It once attracted quarter of a million visitors a day at its peak at the turn of the last century.  A new fairground facility is within our grasp. 

I should have worn my wellies. After a number of re-arranged dates due to postponements caused by the weather, I met with coaches and players from the Vale of Glamorgan mini leagues in Barry on Saturday.

As I write this column, there are 100 hundred days to go until the General Election. Since 2010, the Conservative government has worked hard to turn the economy around – the job is far from finished and there is much more we have to do in the Vale of Glamorgan.

I always feel privileged to be the MP for the Vale of Glamorgan but I am especially reminded how fortunate I am at this time of year. Over the last few weeks I have been able to meet and get involved with a whole host of community groups that have made a difference to the quality of life for so many.

I have written on several occasions in the Gem about the cuts to the bus services and my recent surgeries have been dominated by the subject. As a result of the number of contacts I have received I have held two public meetings which were packed with worried residents.

Do nuisance telephone calls drive you mad? I have been campaigning for some time reduce and eliminate nuisance calls and texts messages. People are fed up of receiving calls and texts trying to sell gas or electricity; promoting claims for the miss-selling of payment protection insurance; to see whether you have had an accident; asking you to buy financial services; or simply to complete a survey to see what they can try to sell you at a later stage.

You can imagine my anger and frustration at the Welsh Government’s announcement last week that Barry will not receive the £15M funding needed to regenerate the town. The Welsh Government Minister, Carl Sargeant, has confirmed that the bids for 11 council areas were being progressed to the second stage and that Barry and the Vale had not been successful.