On SUNDAY I ran the Swindon Half Marathon alongside my colleague Alex Williams.

I was helping to raise money for a local charity, Dressability. Despite the persistent rain and wind, we were able to run the race in just over two hours and 20 minutes – a new personal best.

I would personally like to thank everybody who braved the conditions and came out and made the atmosphere amazing.

And I would also like to thank those that kept me going by providing me with green jelly babies along the 13.1-mile course.

The half marathon was great for our town, the parts of Swindon we know and love.

But equally as important, those running the half marathon helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

If you would like to donate to Dressability, please following this link https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/robertbucklandqcmp1

Despite the positives of Sunday, I am sure many of you saw or heard of the traffic conditions, which were less than ideal.

The race organisers have stated that tweaks will be made to ensure that disruption is minimised next year and that certain positions are bolstered with police to manage vehicle crossings.

At the end of last year the Government announced a new five-year National Cyber Security Strategy. It is supported by £1.9bn of transformational investment, and it set out the Government’s commitment to tackling cyber crime in our country with detailed plans on how future threats will be managed.

Almost six million online fraud and cyber crime offences were committed in England and Wales last year, marking a shift away from crimes such as burglary and street violence. I have spoken with several local residents who have fallen victim to these crimes in the past and many have not even been aware they have been targeted until they realise their savings have been stolen. The need for all of us to be careful and vigilant when sharing our personal details on the internet has never been greater.

The National Cyber Security Strategy follows on from my work in Westminster on the Investigatory Powers Bill.

This Bill will help ensure that police and intelligence services can continue to tackle crime as it moves increasingly online in a way that balances our security with the need to protect our privacy too.

Earlier this year the Government opened a new National Cyber Security Centre in London as part of GCHQ, with a team of about 700 people.

Following on from this, new advice and training information on cyber crime was published last week, along with the results of a survey undertaken, which highlighted the scale of the cyber security and data protection challenge.

There has been progress in some areas when compared to last year’s health check, with more than half of company boards now setting out their approach to cyber risks - 53 per cent up from 33 per cent.

And more than half of all businesses now have a clear understanding of the impact of a cyber attack - 57 per cent up from 49 per cent.

But the report showed that we still have a long way to go to protect businesses, charities, and individuals against the growing threat of cyber crime.