There’s never a dull moment in my job, and the events of the last few weeks have certainly kept things very interesting in Westminster. But this week my column is not about that.

Almost missed in the maelstrom of claims and counter-claims, alleged scandals and clenched anticipation as we all wait for the Gray report to be released, the PM made an announcement that COVID restrictions are to come to an end. We have not yet reached the point in time when the pandemic that has so defined our lives these last years changes to an endemic, but with this statement we are nearly there.

I vividly recall, barely three months into the job of being your new MP, walking into the chamber of the House of Commons to hear an announcement by the Education Secretary that schools were being closed due to the spread of this still newly-known coronavirus. It was such a surreal moment, and I remember feeling a little punch-drunk with the announcement, wondering how on earth our lives could be changed so drastically in just a few weeks.

But on January 27, the measures in the Coronavirus Act will fall away and the Prime Minister has announced that there are no plans to renew them. On the 27th all measures end, including the legal requirement to wear face-masks, the requirement for vaccine passports at large events, and the current restrictions on care homes too.

We've come a long, long way. These couple of years have been incredibly challenging for our community. We've been pilloried in the media as 'the COVID capital of Britain' - ironically due to the amazing testing regime that our local NHS teams instigated in the early days, ahead of the national curve and so pushing numbers up. We've suffered hardships and had to change our lives in countless ways, some more painful than others.

But we've also seen the best of this amazing community. Neighbours looking after neighbours, incredible acts of kindness, huge sacrifices by key workers, and the kind of grit and determination that characterises this amazing community.

Coronavirus is not done with us yet. There will continue to be new variants of concern. But thanks to the amazing vaccine programme, we are turning a corner.