Discussing the future of Caerphilly at the Public Services Board annual conference
It was great to be at Llancaiach Fawr earlier this month for the Caerphilly Public Services Board annual conference, with key decision makers from across Caerphilly County Borough talking about the future of Caerphilly, and what we can do to improve quality of life here for both residents and visitors.
There was a positive welcome from Cllr Dave Poole, leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, highlighting the great work done by the council and the wider sector for our communities, and an engaging presentation from Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.
In her speech, Sophie highlighted the importance of working together to bring positive change to our communities and also talked about the good work done by pupils at Fochriw Primary School on issues such as climate change and social action.
Annual Funding Fair a success
It was great to be able to host the fourth annual Funding Fair with Dawn Bowden, AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, earlier this month at Merthyr Town FC.
There was a range of funding and community organisations from across Merthyr Tydfil and the Upper Rhymney Valley at the event, and I was very pleased to see over 50 people from groups and charities across the constituency there applying for funding for community projects.
Welcoming Phillipstown and Fochriw Primary Schools to Parliament
I was delighted to welcome pupils from Fochriw and Phillipstown Schools’ Heddlu Bach (‘Mini Police’) scheme to Parliament recently, during a school visit to London.
The Heddlu Bach scheme was launched by Gwent Police in schools across the Upper Rhymney Valley to give schoolchildren an insight into police work, and it was a great day in London for Fochriw and Phillipstown’s mini officers, who visited New Scotland Yard before coming into Parliament for a guided tour.
The scheme is a great opportunity for young people in our area to make a difference in our communities, and Fochriw and Phillipstown’s Heddlu Bach did a great job with the visit of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to New Tredegar earlier this month, representing our community and learning from the Gwent Police Officers at the event who did great work to make sure everything went smoothly.
Parliament in recess for summer – but the hard work continues
Although Parliament does not sit in August, I will be using most of the recess to catch up with community groups and local events here in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney as well as meet with representatives of Police, Health and local authorities. In addition, my constituency office is open normal office hours throughout August.