I attended my first Pride of Reading Awards this week, sponsored by among others the Evening Post and hosted by Chris Tarrant.
I had never been to any kind of awards ceremony quite like this before and it made a nice change from being in the office or in a council meeting.
I was on a table with some really nice, interesting people including London Irish rugby player Topsy Ojo and Katie Dale, who came second in this year's Has Reading Got Talent ? competition.
It made me laugh that Martin Salter and Rob Wilson were both put on the same table (although not quite next to each other!).
There were a lot of familiar faces at the event involved in Reading's political, cultural and community life. I felt privileged to be amongst them.
I was particularly excited to meet the team behind Caversham restaurant Myalacarte which specialises in locally-sourced foods: it's one of my favourites!
We talked about life after The Apprentice (the restuarant is co-owned by Apprentice 2009 winner Yasmina Siadatan) and what the Council can do to encourage more independent shops and restaurants in Reading.
I thought it was a really nice touch that 'Local Hero of the Year' award went to the Gurkha community - what an amazing year they have had with many of the Reading Gurkhas right at the forefront of the national campaign for Gurkha rights.
I nominated a number of local people and restaurants for awards and I was delighted to see one of my nominees - Pau Brazil win 'Highly Commended' in the 'Casual Dining' category.
Pau Brazil can be found on Mount Pleasant in Katesgrove one of the loveliest cafes in Reading if you haven't tried it - specializing in really authentic, home-cooked Brazilian food. There's nowhere else quite ike it in town.
I have got to know Evie, the delightful owner of Pau Brazil, and her husband, really well over the past couple of years and I often pop into the cafe for a snack and a chat after a spot of campaigning around the ward.
Pau Brazil was pipped to the top award by The Moderation in Caversham (who are also involved in The Warwick Arms and The Lyndhurst in central Reading).
However, the real icing on the cake for me came when my former constituent, Kiana Gooding won the award for 'Chlid of Courage'. As soon as I heard about the category for individual bravery I thought of her.
We weren't sure if she would win though so it came as a lovely surprise to both me and her family.
Kiana has been battling a life-threatening brain tumour for over a year. Her mother contacted me last year for help with her housing situation which was not helping her daughter. She uses a wheelchair and her mother had been forced to carry her up several flights of stairs to get to the flat.
When I received Michelle Gooding's email I pretty much dropped everything and pulled every string I could think of to try and get the Council to help this family.
I'm glad to say it worked and I helped the family get moved from their flat RBC flat in the south of Redlands last year into a house in West Reading.
I was sorry they left the ward but we made the effort to stay in touch via Facebook etc
Anyway, it was a lovely day and seeing the look on little Kiana's face when she won, made my week (although I'm not sure if it was so much winning the award or winning the High School Musical stuff which she was more thrilled about!)
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