Today I met with pupils from Deptford Green School in New Cross to discuss the research they have been carrying out into rising food prices and the impact on local people.

Thanks to the British Council's 'Connecting Classrooms' project, Deptford Green has a trilateral partnership with St Kizito School in Kampala, Uganda and Rainbow College in Lagos, Nigeria.  It is also an Oxfam lead school, one of ten in the UK who partner with the charity to develop active global citizenship across the curriculum.  

Students from the school travelled to Uganda to participate in research after being inspired by Oxfam's GROW campaign to tackle global hunger.  The students stayed with the families of St Kizito School pupils and interviewed vendors and customers at the local markets.  Upon their return to the UK they conducted the same research at Deptford Market whilst the Rainbow College in Nigeria did similar at their local market.

The students' research uncovered rising prices in all three cities and the strategies ordinary people use to cope: mainly substituting cheaper but less nutritional food for more expensive food or buying food in smaller quantities and therefore skipping meals or snacking.

Spending time in a developing country is one of the most important experiences in life and young people at Deptford Green are privileged to have that opportunity.  I was delighted to hear accounts of their findings and to have the chance to discuss with them a wide range of issues around food poverty, prices and production.  These visits are invaluable in broadening horizons and giving young people an understanding of the great challenges facing the global community.

On Wednesday 11th September I pledged my support for a campaign by national charity Rethink Mental Illness to make the Government's fit-for-work test fair for people with mental illness.

I took part in an event in Westminster during which I was asked to prove whether I was fit for my job.  This 'MP Capability Assessment' mirrored the Work Capability Assessment - the controversial test used by the Government to decide whether thousands of people with mental illness and other disabilities are entitled to financial support.

Lara Carmona, Head of Campaign for Rethink Mental Illness, said:

“This was obviously a slightly tongue in cheek exercise, but there is a very serious message underpinning it. Just as our MP Capability Assessment doesn’t accurately reflect Dame Joan Ruddock’s ability to be an MP, neither does the Work Capability Assessment fairly judge whether someone with mental illness is able to work.

“That’s why we are delighted that Joan has backed our call for the Government to make the fit-for-week test fair for people with mental illness. The system isn’t working, and it’s in everyone’s interests that we have a fair and accurate assessment process, which gets it right the first time. It could make a huge difference to some of the most vulnerable people in Lewisham and Deptford.”

Rethink Mental Illness is a charity that believes a better life is possible for millions of people affected by mental illness. It runs services and support groups that change people’s lives, as well as challenging attitudes towards mental illness.

For more information, please visit  www.rethink.org.

On Tuesday 10th September I joined 200 other MPs in pledging to take action to support the 800,000 people living with dementia across the UK.

Alzheimer's Society campaigners were in Westminster to drum up political support for their trailblazing Dementia Friends initiative, which was launched in February 2013. Dementia Friends aims to help people understand what it might be like to live with dementia, and to turn that understanding into an action.

The Alzheimer's Society is aiming to recruit one million Dementia Friends by 2015, helping to make England more dementia-friendly and improve the lives of people living with the condition.

If you are interested in becoming a Dementia Friend or in helping to create more dementia-friendly communities, visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk to register and find your nearest information session.

On Tuesday 10th September I joined other MPs in promoting Breast Cancer UK's Wear It Pink Day 2013.

Over the last 10 years Wear It Pink has raised a staggering £23 million.  On Friday 25th October people will come together in schools, colleges and businesses throughout the country to raise vital funds for Breast Cancer Campaign's lifesaving research.

Every year in the UK around 50,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer.  Sadly 12,000 women and 80 men die from this disease.  This is why we need to support Breast Cancer Campaign's fundraising efforts so they can continue to fund research which will one day lead to a cure.  

So join me, wear something pink and donate £2 - it's as simple as that.

To register for Wear It Pink and receive your fundraising pack, visit www.wearitpink.org or call 0800 107 3104.