We had worked side by side as political advisers to Patricia Hewitt as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from 2001 on issues such as the Government's first manufacturing policy and strengthening the rights of working people.

It was a happy evening with a lot of fond memories so I was in a good mood when I finally got the train back North early on Friday.

First up in the constituency was a visit to the referral unit in Hargher Clough where the young people were celebrating their achievements with an awards ceremony at the end of the academic year. I was impressed with the school's lively and positive atmosphere: they have clearly achieved a lot in the few years they have been up and running there.

From there I joined a group of young people from Burnley who had taken part in an interesting national project entitled "Festival of Flight" that took the broad subject of flying and aeroplanes to investigate issues facing them and their identities. They had produced some artwork that explored aspects of community cohesion arising from the 9/11 bombings which they will be exhibiting at an exhibition in Salford shortly.

I then went over to St Leonard's Primary School, Padiham, to open a school garden built with young volunteers working with the Prince's Trust and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. This is a great scheme that helps young people, typically those in their teens and early 20s, learn teamwork skills at the same time as doing something useful for their community. It was great to see the younger schoolchildren exploring the fruit and vegetables planted in the garden and hear how the volunteers had battled through last week's stormy weather to get it completed.

Following a catch-up in the office, I held a well-attended surgery in Asda. I hadn't been down onto Princess Way for a couple of weeks and it was uplifting to see the work that has begun on the new site for Burnley College. I am sure that site, including university provision and space for start-up companies, will transform the opportunities available in our town as well as regenerating a rather run-down site.

In the evening I joined come county council friends at Turf Moor for the formal launch of a new charity that takes surplus school furniture – desks etc – no longer required in Lancashire and ships it to Pakistan where children are having to sit on the floor and using their bags as desks. It's a fantastic example of how both communities can benefit from a good idea.

Lancashire will benefit from not having to put tonnes of old furniture and equipment into landfill sites, and of course the schools and children in Pakistan benefit from having the equipment they need.

On Saturday I went to Blackpool to make a major policy announcement in my capacity as a Treasury minister to the national Co-operatives Congress. We want to see all types of co-operatives – including credit unions such as the one in Burnley - expand and grow, and I enjoyed talking to co-operatists from across the country about how we can best do that.