When I was planning this column a few days ago I decided it was going to have to be another downbeat one.

I just couldn’t decide whether to focus on the depressing state our local police find themselves in with one in 10 taking time off with psychological problems and on average only six officers covering the entire constituency. Or I could have focused on trains yet again with the Transport ministry agreeing to close the Lakes Line over the Easter Weekend giving our local businesses another kick in the teeth at a time they most need support.

Then again I could have given you my thoughts on the worrying place our farmers find themselves in with us five weeks away from leaving the EU and no deal in sight.

But then I heard some brilliant news.

The Kentmere Ward at Kendal Hospital is in line to receive £1 million investment.

To give you a bit of background on this. The Kentmere Ward is the mental health ward at the hospital. Three years ago the trust that runs the ward decided to close it after it received a very poor review in an inspection. However, along with thousands of you (7,000 people signed our petition to save the ward) I was determined that this should not happen. Leave aside the fact that I did not want to see further services taken away from the hospital, I simply felt that the last thing people experiencing serious mental health issues needed was to face treatment an hour or more away from their homes.

People experiencing mental health issues can be some of the most vulnerable people around. What they need most is stability and support. The idea that they should be moved a long way away, not just from the area they know but their friends and family was simple wrong.

So to have moved from that point to one where we are seeing the prospect of a significant investment in the unit is simply brilliant. Everyone involved in whatever way in the campaign to get the closure decision reversed should be going around with a very broad smile on their faces today.

Of course, this is our health service, many things can change between now and the money actually arriving and being spent. There is still at least one more stage of approval to go through. But this news is a big step forward and one that makes me very happy and a little bit proud.