I also want to thank everyone who voted for me. I’m pleased we ran a clean and energetic campaign in Brighton Pavilion and I am humbled by how many people cast their ballot for me in what was a very hard fought election. Thank you everyone.

I’m also very grateful to the amazing Labour team that has supported me over the past three years. It’s testament to all the wonderful people in Brighton Pavilion Labour Party, and volunteers from near and far, that Steve and I can say that we have made so many friends over the course of the campaign.You have been sensational and tireless and I can't thank you all enough.

I’d also like to send my best wishes to Charlotte and Berni who were always courteous and warm to me when we met over the course of the election. I was a historic campaign with an all woman line up from the main parties and I’m very proud to have been part of that.

I’m also particularly pleased that we have shown Brighton Pavilion to be an overwhelmingly progressive and forward looking place to live. The Conservatives came third: that’s a first here and good news.

Thanks again to everyone who worked so hard for Labour. I have been overwhelmed by messages of support and best wishes, and I’m very grateful. I’ll get back to you all soon but now me and Steve are enjoying a weekend in Brighton, loving the Festival and taking time to love living in this great city.

You know me. I’m passionate about Brighton. I’m keen to take up your causes. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. Unlike my Tory and Green opponents, I actually live in our fabulous city. That’s why I understand the issues that Brightonians like you care about. I want to be your MP because I love Brighton.

The Greens keep saying only they can win. They are wrong!

The Greens like to mention the local and European election results in their leaflets. But a General Election is different. Turnout is higher in a General Election. The Greens also like to show you the graph of an opinion poll they paid for. That poll shows the Greens in the lead: but it would say that, wouldn’t it?

The Greens have a massive hill to climb if they want to win. A Green vote risks a Conservative MP. David Cameron is hoping that we elect another Conservative MP here. But he'd rather have a Green MP than a Labour MP.

I want to be your local Labour MP. Don’t let anyone tell you that your vote is wasted. I’m fighting to win. Vote Labour!

Afterwards the Prime Minister popped down to the seafront to meet voters and do some interviews and media stuff. Thankfully the sun was out. He was greeted enthusiastically by people down at the playground by the West Pier. It was an enjoyable visit!

In tow, was Eddie Izzard and it was great to meet him too. Did you see his party election broadcast on Friday evening?

I was also interested to hear from people concerned about the controversial Digital Economy Bill currently going through parliament. In particular, I’m interested in how we can do more to make Brighton a buzzing, innovative centre for tech start ups.

About the Digital Economy Bill: I oppose it. Firstly, I don’t think any law should pass through parliament without being properly scrutinised, consulted on and amended. Rushed law is bad law and the Digital Economy Bill is being pushed through without the careful consideration it deserves. It’s not an urgent bill and I think it can wait until the next parliament.

Process aside, it’s a bad bill. It’s a very big bill that touches all manner of areas including DAB radio and Channel 4 and much of that law is uncontroversial. But it’s the aspects related to file sharing that concern me. In particular, the penalties it levies are too punitive and don’t necessarily punish the right people. I don’t think that I should be held responsible if someone uses my internet connection to download copyrighted files, for instance.

On a very practical level it will be bad for people who use free wifi in public areas such as pubs and cafes. In Brighton those people are co-workers, freelancers, students and plenty of others. I think it would be very harmful to our vibrant digital culture if we didn’t have so much wifi publicly available.

Over the past weeks and months I’ve spent time with faith groups to find out more about the massive contributions they make to the community and hear more about their concerns and views. In the past few weeks, for instance, I was pleased to meet with Archie Coates of St Peter’s Church to find out about the work he and his team are doing. I was delighted to join a service at Gloucester Street Baptist Church a few Sundays ago to talk about my values and also hear from worshippers there. In February I joined the YMCA at their Sleep Easy event to highlight the problem of homelessness.

I’ve also enjoyed a longer association with Fareshare, a charity backed by Churches Together in Sussex that redistributes surplus supermarket food to people who need it. I volunteered for a day with the team last year and was hugely impressed by the tremendous work they do and the boost they give to all sorts of vulnerable people.

Church and faith groups of all kinds make a variety of contributions to our city’s life, in particular tackling poverty on the ground. As an anti-poverty campaigner in my work life, I’m keen to support them. For me, one of the most striking things about the work these groups do is the focus and importance they attach to self-esteem and developing confidence, often having a transformational effect on people’s lives. Whether it’s the volunteers themselves or the people getting the help, making sure that people are valued is at the core of the work. I’m always impressed with that and think that anyone, regardless of their personal faith, can support that too.

I was also pleased to meet the team from UK Chinese Students Society.

The University of Brighton are planning to close Phoenix nursery in July 2010, which would mean a loss of 20 childcare places. If there is spare capacity because not all childcare places are taken up by staff or students each year, then nursery managers believe there is enough demand locally to fill any remaining childcare places on a private basis. This would mean that the Phoenix nursery could remain open.

This nursery enables parents to have the opportunity to study so they can get qualifications and get a job, we can’t afford to lose it.

Nancy visited Coldean School a few weeks ago to see how it is teaching literacy and using National Literacy Trust programmes to boost reading and writing.

She saw local schoolchildren taking part in a range of lessons to support literacy skills and build a lifelong love of reading and writing and joined five to seven year old youngsters, and took part in storytelling sessions that are made fun and interactive with puppets representing storybook characters.

Nancy’s visit forms part of the National Literacy Trust’s forthcoming Vote for Literacy campaign which asks the public to urge political parties, individual MPs and candidates to prioritise literacy. MP and candidate visits in January and February will raise the profile of literacy as an important election issue.

“I am a true believer in the value of building our children’s literacy skills at an early age," says Nancy. "By creating an inviting, safe and fun environment for children to learn in, we are encouraging enjoyment of reading and writing. A love of literacy sets children on a path that leads to a happy, fulfilled and successful life.”

Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust says: “Literacy is more important to local communities than ever before. The next government will need to rebuild our economy and to increase opportunities for all young people. Levels of literacy must improve for them to achieve this.

“We’re delighted that Nancy Platts PPC has chosen to see for herself how literacy is being successfully supported in one local school. In the upcoming General Election, we want the public to challenge all MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates to encourage their party to adopt policies from our Manifesto for Literacy. Together we can address literacy and build a better future for us all.”

Nancy was swift to act when contacted by concerned residents of the St Peter’s and North Laine area, about mature plane trees being cut down. She sent a letter to the Brighton and Hove City Council, and last Fridayshe led a team to Clyde Road to speak with residents and gather support for a petition. Nancy’s letter asked residents whether they had been consulted and whether they wanted “the plane trees to be managed and not cut down”.

Keen to appear on the new Argus online candidate map, Nancy ‘Tweeted’ her location. This is clearly monitored by the “powers that be”, as no sooner than the last door had been knocked, council representatives appeared with a letter admitting they had been hasty: “it is possible in hindsight that shorter term and less drastic options could have also been contained in the letter, originally meant as a start to continued consultation..”

Nancy said “I am pleased that the Council are having a rethink, as most of the residents I spoke to were unhappy about the proposal to cut the trees down, and said they had not been consulted. I think this has got to be the speediest resolution to a campaign I have ever had, the Argus online candidate map clearly has influence!”

There is a “drop in” session at the Calvary Church in nearby Viaduct Road on Wednesday, February 24th between 6pm and 8pm where residents can speak to council officers about concerns.

The YMCA has been providing a safe haven for young people in Sussex for many years -not just by providing temporary accommodation - but by offering help and support concerning access to services, supporting families and providing suitable accommodation to avert the breakdown of families and prevent young people from leaving home in the first place. The Big Sleep Easy is a great event to raise awareness and encourage people to support the great work the YMCA does.

When I got to the event everyone was busy making their night shelters from cardboard and there was certainly a lot of creative thought going into some of them! It meant I got a chance to warm my hands on the brazier Chair of Sussex Central YMCA Ian Chisnall (left) and Chief Executive of YMCA Sussex Central David Standing (centre) about the essential work they do in Brighton to support people who find themselves homeless.

I visited all of the temporary cardboard homes and spoke to their occupants. One woman was there with her two children who were exceptionally excited about spending the night under the stars, but she told me if it hadn't been for YMCA, they would have been doing it because they had to, rather than to raise money - she said to me, "YMCA saved my life, I don't know where I would have been without them.”

It's a sobering thought and I have huge admiration for everyone who stayed out on such a freezing cold night to raise over £3000 for YMCA.