WITH Summer very much here and in full-swing, what better way to make the most of fine weather than a visit to one of Devon’s fantastic days out.

Whether that might be for a family day at Drakes Farm, a walk through the gorgeous grounds of Powderham Castle or a stop at the Orange Elephant Ice Cream parlour in Kennford – our local attractions aren’t just for tourists, they are what makes our area such a fabulous place to live.

Earlier this month, I thoroughly enjoyed Powderham’s “The Coolest Colour" exhibition which is running until October 31.

The work of Jane Perkins and Gillian Taylor explore creative responses to the colour blue and is well worth a visit.

This year, 2025, is the 700-year anniversary of Powderham and they are hosting a range of exciting events throughout the summer.

These include performances from Duran Duran and Basement Jaxx, comedians Frank Skinner and Jen Brister and their annual historic vehicle day which is the largest of its kind in the South West and has raised enormous amounts of money for local charities.

Supporting local businesses and attractions, and importantly the jobs they provide, is more important than ever before with the soaring cost of doing business due to the decisions taken by this Government.

When I return from Westminster to a constituency that supports so many small independent businesses, the impact of measures, like increasing employers’ national insurance or hiking businesses rates is so evident in almost every conversation I have with businesses.

I was pleased to recently visit Family-run Berrybrook in Exminster, who are a shining light for innovation and entrepreneurship, are exactly the sort of businesses we should be encouraging.

Founded in 2001 as a Morgan dealership, they expanded into steam engines in 2007 and later added classic cars and motorcycles.

Now the South West’s largest supplier of steam engines as well as the main agent for Morgan cars, they have recently added a model company to their portfolio.

Their continued success would not have been possible without their combination of passion, hard-work and entrepreneurship – qualities that should be rewarded, not stifled.

Devon’s countryside, natural beauty and desirability presents so many fantastic opportunities to innovators and entrepreneurs, we just need an approach from the government that gets out of their way, frees them up to employ our young people, and offers them the flexibility to invest in their businesses without the burden of eyewatering taxes.

This is what I will continue to campaign for as Shadow Chancellor with my national work always guided by listening to local people here in Devon.

I hope this week brings with some well-earned rest for those families like mine who have had GCSEs and A-levels to navigate, and I hope you can make the most of the lovely weather while it lasts.

As ever, constituents can write to me at [email protected] with any constituency related matters.