Kirkstall Abbey has been nominated on the shortlist for Britain's favourite picnic site. Visit www.welovebread.co.uk to vote for our own Abbey as the regional winner!

Rachel is backing the Abbey: "The Abbey isn't just a nice spot to look at on the bus home. It's a fantastic place to take a stroll, learn about our local history, take in some Shakespeare or sit down with a picnic. We should be proud of having such a landmark on our doorstep."

On the 12th March Rachel attended an International Women’s Day Charity Dinner held by Linda McAvan MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, with guest speaker Baroness Glenys Kinnock. Linda holds the dinner every two years to raise money for this great cause and this dinner saw over 200 women from across the region gather to raise money to support the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, which treats young girls who suffer debilitating injuries during childbirth that can affect them throughout their lives. The dinner is held to show how far women have come, but also how far we still have to go for women in the developing world.  The Millennium Development goals agreed at Gleneagles are making a difference to people in Africa but there is more governments – at home and abroad must do to help people get an education and access to health care.

£20m of government funding has been secured for Kirkstall Road, to cut congestion and make it quicker for people to travel into town. As well as providing bus lanes to cut journey times into town, the 'quality bus scheme' will provide a safer route for cyclists.

Rachel said: "It is vital the £20m is spent properly, so that bus users, drivers and cyclists can all benefit from better, safer journeys into town. I'll be working hard with Kirkstall's Labour Councillors to get the best out of this investment. One really important element is making sure that cyclists can get into town safely - at the minute cycling along Kirkstall Road is unnecessarily dangerous, and it is no wonder that few people do it."

4km of new bus routes will be built, real time bus timetables will be installed alongside bus shelters, pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes. Details of the Quality bus corridor can be found here.

Last week Rachel attended a 'toothbrush exchange' event at the Fairfield Community Centre. The event was designed to teach children and adults about the importance of brushing your teeth. There was also the opportunity to trade in your old toothbrush for a new pack of a toothbrush and toothpaste. Also in attendance at the event were staff from NHS Leeds and the tooth fairy!