Kings Langley Villager Article, May 2008

Penning plays at Twickenham

I got the chance of a lifetime when I fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing rugby at Twickenham.

The Commons & Lords RFC had been invited to take part in a charity rugby match by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Our opponents were a Select XV put together by the Trust. The match took place at the revered home of England rugby.

Our team was captained by Rob Andrew – Director of Elite Rugby at the RFU – who played in his customary position of fly-half as he did in Will Carling’s England team. The rest of the team was made up of MPs from all three major parties as well as a number of researchers and other parliamentary staff – and one member of the House of Lords.

In the event the Cystic Fibrosis team scored three tries to our one to win the match 17-7.

It truly was a great honour to play at Twickenham – something I never imagined I would get a chance to do - and to be able to raise money for a worthwhile cause such as the Cystic Fibrosis Trust was a real bonus. It was hard work though and I’m beginning to think that its time to hang up my boots!

Cinnamon Lounge – Runner-up in local round of Tiffin Cup

The Cinnamon Lounge has achieved runner-up position in the local round of the Tiffin Cup. Each year MPs are invited to select one South Asian Restaurant from their constituency to go forward to a national competition to select the nation’s favourite. The final round is a cook-in at Bellamy's Restaurant in London. I select our representative by way of local competition.

I visited the Cinnamon Lounge to congratulate them and present certificates.

The winner of the local round was Sitar Restaurant in Boxmoor.