The festive season is just round the corner and as we approach the end of 2022, I’ve been reflecting on what’s happened this year both nationally and in our communities.

At the start of 2022 the war in Ukraine broke out and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. I’m proud of Sheffield’s response to this horrific war, as hundreds of people across the city opened their homes under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. I also opened my office for donations and was overwhelmed with people’s generosity. Hundreds of people donated medical supplies, clothes, toiletries and other items.  These were all donated to a collection in Barnsley that took all the supplies to Poland for them to be distributed.

I’ve been campaigning for better access and more funding and resources for mental health services. We saw the effect the pandemic had on young people and the government’s response to this was to make 72p per child available for their flagship mental health recovery fund to help staff deal with the growing strain.  I spoke to young people from across the constituency who told me their experiences of lockdown and how this affected them and what they thought of the support that was on offer from the government.

Nationally, the country is in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis which is hitting almost all households. I know that it can often be difficult to know where to turn for help when your struggling, that’s why I’ve created an online resource which has the details of organisations, charities and mental health services that can offer help and advice.

It has been a tumultuous year in politics and this Tory government. The country has seen four different Prime Ministers, four Chancellors, three Home Secretaries, three Health Secretaries and government in total chaos. The country needs economic stability and responsible government that is committed to investing in our public services and growing the economy.

There’s a lot of work to do in 2023 but I’m hoping that we can all have a restful Christmas and come back in the New Year reenergised and ready to fight the good fight.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.