As the daughter of a blacksmith striker at Wearmouth Colliery I was very pleased to see a tribute to Durham Miners’ Gala during a visit to Grange Park Primary School this week.

Just a few weeks ago I was delighted to welcome Year 5 pupils from Grange Park to Parliament – and it was a pleasure to see so many of you again during my visit on Thursday.

Many thanks for the invitation – you are all a credit to your school.