THE past couple of weeks have been a bit action packed politically. That is if you think that politics can be action packed.

Inevitably the national events have taken up quite a bit of my time, rushing round television and radio studios and talking to journalists and discussing issues with other MPs.

However, I have tried as hard as I can to ensure that things are not distracting me from my main job of being your MP and that I stay in touch with what is going on at home.

That is why I am particularly looking forward to my Summer Tour this year. Many of you will have been along to meet us when we take advantage of the parliamentary summer recess to travel round the villages in the area that I don’t get to when I have to travel down to London each week.

We roll up to some point in the middle of the village, put up our little “Tim Farron” sign and chat to whoever happens to come along. I talk to people about anything from important problems they want sorting to general discussions about what is going on in the area, they even sometimes just come along tell me to my face how they feel I am doing my job.

Whatever it is that you want to talk about, I am sure it will be interesting and it will take place in some of the most beautiful scenery in the country so it will be great.

The key thing is that I get to meet as many of you as possible and hear what you think about things.

We kick off tomorrow but are going to different parts of the constituency on each day so if you want to come along you need to look out for the notices or find the Summer Tour link on my website.

Please do come and say “hi”, it would be great to see you.

On a different issue, the battle to save the Kentmere Ward at Westmorland General Hospital continues.

We are upping the pressure on the management of the ward by staging a march through Kendal on the July 30.

We plan to meet at Abbot Hall Park at 1.30pm and set off at 1.45pm to march up Highgate, finishing off with a short (I promise) speech from me when we reach the centre of town.

We really need as many people as possible to come along to show the strength of opposition that exists in the area the threat of losing our mental health ward at the hospital.

The last time I looked we had over 4,000 people supporting our petition against the closure, it would be great to see as many of them as possible in Kendal a week next Saturday.

If for some reason you cannot get along then please do ensure that you sign the petition, just search “Tim Farron mental health petition” on the internet and follow the links.

So, if you don’t get a chance to come and chat to me over the next couple of weeks it won’t be for want of opportunity.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, and leader of the Liberal Democrats