It only seems like yesterday when we were cheering on the British Team at the London Olympics, and yet here we are four years on in Rio and at the end of the single most successful overseas Olympics for our country ever.
We dominated in cycling, made history in swimming and excelled in rowing and gymnastics. Who can forget ‘golden couple’ Laura Trott and Jason Kenny, from just down the road in Farnworth, who managed to get more medals between them than some of the competing countries? Or Adam Peaty breaking his own world record in the 100m breaststroke final, or 16-year-old Amy Tinkler winning a medal in gymnastics just weeks after sitting her GCSEs?
This Olympics has seen many special moments for our country and we have it all to look forward to again when the Paralympics starts next week.
One of the things that stood out for me was how the North West has played its part in the success of the British Team at this Olympics. British Cycling, the sport we’re arguably most known for, has its headquarters in Manchester with many of their athletes choosing to call our part of the country home, including Sir Bradley Wiggins who lives in Chorley. We also have a number of athletes from the North West competing—including Aspull’s Dan Bibby in Rugby Sevens and Bolton’s Jason Kenny.
Every time the Olympics comes around, it seems to inspire many people to get involved in sport—it’s one of the best things about the event. Whether it’s joining a running club—and Atherton has an excellent one—taking the bike to work instead of driving or practicing your shot at Atherton’s Indoor Shooting Range at Victoria Mill, this event always seems to make many of us want to get more active.
Our new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has made a fantastic decision to hold the Olympic and Paralympic celebrations outside London in the North West. It is a clear recognition of the contribution the North of England has made and will continue to make.
You never know – we may have an Athertonian representing us at the next Olympics.
One of the main complaints I receive from local people is about transport. Whether it’s potholes on our roads, trains crammed to capacity or not enough bus routes to get to where we want to go, I get phone calls, emails and letters every single week complaining about our transport system. Just a fortnight ago, dozens and dozens of Tyldesley Road residents got in touch with me for help dealing with speeding drivers, the latest of whom hit a row of houses and three parked cars in the early hours of a Sunday and then drove off.
When I was first elected as Member of Parliament for Bolton West and Atherton, I promised I would make fixing our transport system one of my top priorities. But to do this, I need your help.
It's really important that our infrastructure improves, so I wanted to get the views of the people who know most about transport in our area: the people who use local services every day.
I've designed an in-depth survey covering different aspects of our transport system so that you can help identify any problems that exist and suggest improvements.
Do we need to increase our rail capacity? Is there a new bus route we need putting in place? Or do we need better access to the motorway, like the shelved A5225 scheme, to reduce congestion?
Whatever your views, I want to hear them.
Later this year, I’ll publish the results of the survey and take your answers to those who make the decisions about our transport system so that they are left with no doubt about what the people of Atherton want.
You can take the survey by visiting my website or going to: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/bigtransportsurvey