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Delyth Jewell, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

As we reach the end of a challenging year, I hope that many of you will be able to have as merry a Christmas as possible, and a peaceful break over the festive season.  This year has made us confront many difficult moments, but even in the darkest of times, I’ve been inspired by the outreach work, the volunteering, and the selflessness of so many individuals and groups in our community.  Truly, you’ve been a light for us all, and we owe you so much.

This week, we marked the winter solstice (or the shortest day), which means we’ve now begun the gradual climb back to brighter days. From now on, every day will be a little longer, and I hope that that is a comfort to many of you.  As we approach the feast of Christmas, I’m also taking comfort in the Nativity story, centring as it does on a light shining in dark times, and a chance of better times to come.  Another reason for hope, of course, is the fact that a vaccine is finally being rolled out, and I know that many frontline workers in the community will have already had the first dose. I’m looking forward eagerly to the coming weeks and months when more and more of us will be able to have the vaccine, which will I hope mark the beginning of the end of this challenging period in our lives.

I know that many of you, like me, won’t be able to spend as long with loved ones over Christmas as you’d hoped, and I realise that the new restrictions will be challenging.  I hope that you’ll find ways of keeping in touch with friends and neighbours, be it over the telephone or through video calls, and that you’ll check in on people who might be lonely.  Over the past few days, I’ve been taking part in virtual carol services over Facebook and Zoom, and have been catching up with friends who live in other parts of the world through video calls: this Christmas isn’t the same as normal years, but it’s still a tonic for the soul to share stories and moments, even if we’re physically apart.

Please keep safe during the festive season, and if there’s anything at all that I can do to help, please let me know.  I’ll be checking my emails in case anything urgent arises (Delyth.Jewell@Senedd.Wales)

With best wishes for a joyful, peaceful and merry Christmas, and a better year in 2021.

Delyth 

P.S. I know that many families will have found it more challenging to buy Christmas gifts this year, so Santa’s sent me a message for the children, which I’ve posted on my Facebook page.