My first meeting of the day was with Sgt Julian Allen from the Beckton Safer Neighbourhood Team. We discussed the proposed police shop in ASDA and Julian agreed to attend a coffee morning that I will be hosting in the Beckton Globe on Saturday 17 January to discuss anti social behaviour issues in and around the area.

Afterwards I met with Huw Edwards, from the Olympic Delivery Authority, for a tour of the Olympic site in Stratford. It is encouraging to see that the stadium starting to take shape. It is impossible not to look at the stadium and feel excited about how the area will look come 2012!

I then met with a youth worker and trustees of the One World Foundation Africa where we discussed how the organisation can continue to grow. It has been operating for six years and now has a full time office with three part time staff, and a full programme of youth activities involving 600 members – with some 80 turning up every week to the Monday evening youth club!

I then travelled to the Marriner Road Day Centre in Manor Park where I sang some Christmas carols with the residents there and chatted about their memories of Newham.

Later on I met with a representative from the Tamil community who acts on behalf of failed and new asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. We discussed the current situation in the country and how best to help those forced to travel to the UK to seek asylum.

I ended the day with one of my regular advice surgeries in Beckton.