The House of Commons.

On Tuesday I visited Parliament with Results UK, the CEO of ADD International, and Matarr, a disability activist from the Gambia. We were there to lobby MP's on the vital issue of access to education for children with disabilities in developing countries, or, as the new terminology calls them, 'low income countries'. If children with disabilities in these countries can have access to education then poverty can be reduced, and we can ensure that talent is not lost and the human rights of individuals are protected. We spoke to 5 MP's, including the Minister for Disabled Persons, and urged them to attend 'An Equal Start for All:Disability and Education in Low Income Countries' to be held in Portcullis House on November 29th. Hopefully there will be a good turnout and we can really make a difference.

Training Buy The Book.

Training has continued to go really well and I'm very positive about next season.I've been following the Commonwealth Games keenly and was delighted to see James Huckle, my Harlow pal, win his medals.There's been a lot of adverse publicity about the facilities in Delhi but I think it's been fantastic to see athletes competing with each other in a spirit of sportsmanship and overcoming all the obstacles put in their way. Great stuff.

My life has, as usual, been hectic outside my sporting activities. I attended a dinner in the House of Lords in my role as Goodwill Ambassador for ADD(Action on Disability and Development) and it was nice to get 'glammed' up for a change. I was also delighted to win an award myself at the UK-Kenyan Achievers Awards in London. I was very proud to accept the Sports Personality of the Year award and got a lovely trophy and certificate. Finally, I had a table in the Harlow branch of WH Smiths where I signed copies of my autobiography,'In My Dreams I Dance'. I felt very honoured when our local MP, Robert Halfon came to show his support. The signing was a big success and I thank all those people who came along, and the manager of WH Smiths who arranged it all.