When Anthony Best Dynamics asked me to help with their bid to the Coalition Government’s Regional Growth Fund a few months ago, I was only too happy to oblige.

The Bradford on Avon firm is a world-leader in high-tech engineering, making testing systems used by car manufacturers including Mercedes and Toyota. I’d already taken Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander to the firm last year, where we met some of the apprentices and recent graduates embarking on their careers there.

So when they are told me of their plans to move into new bigger premises just down the road, develop additional product lines and take on around 50 more employees, I was keen to lend my support and wrote to the Government urging them to provide the funding the firm needs. I was delighted to return to the factory last week, this time with Transport Minister Baroness Kramer who announced that the Government will be giving the firm a £2.3 million grant from the Regional Growth Fund, set up by Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. It will help to secure the future of high-skilled manufacturing in our area and create opportunity for more talented young people to get their start in advanced engineering here.

Following her visit to Bradford on Avon, I took Baroness Kramer to see the site of the old Corsham station and introduce her to local campaigner Anne Lock, with whom I have been working to restore rail services to the town. Before the Minister caught her train back to London from Chippenham station, we met officials from Network Rail to discuss the installation of lifts and a new bridge to provide step-free access to the platforms, which is finally underway.

Members of the local Community Access to Rail Travel group have been campaigning for these improvements for years, and since becoming our Member of Parliament I pressed Government Ministers and Network Rail repeatedly to make sure funding for the project wasn’t lost to cuts.

Now that we’ve secured an additional 80 services a week on the line between Swindon and Westbury, it’s great that Chippenham station will soon have step-free access so more people can make use of them.

After a constituency surgery in Corsham on Wednesday, my next will be at my office in Avonbridge House, Chippenham February 27 from 2pm to 3.30pm.