Had a very busy few days at the end of last week.

On Thursday, I visited the Carer's Centre, the Brighton Housing Trust's Addiction Recovery Project, and took part in a political speed date - as well as filming with ITV Meridian on a very blustery seafront.

The Carer's Centre is a fantastic local charity that provides support for all kinds of carers - from those supporting elderly relatives, to those caring for partners with illnesses, to young children looking after an unwell parent.

I met the new chair of the organisation, Sue Wallace, and spoke to her about the future of social care and Green Party proposals for making life easier for carers.

Then an amazing visit at the Recovery Centre, a service we are so lucky to have here in Brighton.

It was a real privilege to meet with the service users, and to hear first hand their stories of extraordinary courage - and to learn what the Centre means to them. It is, very literally, a lifeline.

Very good to catch up with its founder, Andy Winter, and to hear his views on how best to deal with addiction.

I really enjoyed taking part in the UCU political speed dating, and felt that there was real support for Green policies on fighting University cuts, scrapping tuition fees and opposition to academies - still feeling angry about the 107 job cuts that Sussex University is pushing through, despite a passionate campaign by staff, students and the community alike.

I also did some filming with ITV Meridian - though very frustrated that it started pouring the second we got onto the beach!

We managed to escape the weather over a coffee in Alfresco, where we ended up doing most of the filming.