Dear Constituent,

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the Denton and Reddish Weekly News. 

It's been a bit of a different week for me, as I spent a few days in Poland as part of the British delegation in this year's March of the Living. It was a truly heartbreaking and humbling experience, and I feel very lucky to have been invited to attend. I've written in more detail about this later on in the newsletter.

It's great to be back home, and there are lots of community events taking place over the next couple of weeks, including a fantastic St George's Day celebration in Dane Bank tomorrow. 

Scroll down to find out more, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

In May, I'll be taking to the skies in a Wing Walk for 9-year old Florence. Florence has a rare life-limiting degenerative condition called #GM1. We're raising money for Florence and her family to make wonderful memories. If you can, please click below to donate.

On the 5th of July this year, the NHS will turn 75 years old. Launched by the then Health Secretary Nye Bevan at Park Hospital in Manchester, the NHS’ basic principle – a free at the point of need health service – remains unchanged.

Over the last 75 years, the NHS has had to adapt and meet the ever-changing challenges of modern Britain. There is no greater example of this than the Covid-19 pandemic when – as the rest of the country went into lockdown – the NHS mobilised to treat those succumbing to this new virus and delivered over 151 million vaccinations.

I believe in the NHS to my bones. The mark of a civilised society is whether or not it is capable of treating those who are ill, irrespective of how much money they have in their pocket. It is for this reason that I am so passionate about defending our health service at all costs.

Over the last 13 years, the NHS has been systematically neglected, with waiting times now at record highs. A service not too long ago regarded as the envy of the world is now on its knees, and is in dire need of support.

In my role as Shadow Public Health Minister, I’ve backed calls for NHS investment and reform.

The fact is, the NHS currently does not have the necessary staff to tackle the unprecedented backlogs here in Tameside and across the country. That’s why we need to double the number of medical school places, double the number of nurses, and train thousands of new NHS staff. This plan could very easily be paid for by abolishing the non dom tax status, so that those who work here, pay their taxes here.

So that’s the investment side of the equation, but the reform side is equally important. I’ve been really inspired by local health teams here in Tameside linking their care to the community and developing innovative new ways of communicating with patients. I want this effort to be matched nationally, with the NHS embracing community care, and utilising new tools and technology.

This needs to come alongside a prevention strategy, which addresses things like poor housing, low pay, mental ill health and more, so that people receive the support they need before they end up in A&E or requiring specialist care.

This all might sound rose-tinted, but it’s been done before and must be done again. Local people deserve an NHS that is fit for the future.

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has welcomed community initiatives taking place across the local area to mark the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and encouraged residents to get involved.

The Coronation will take place on 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. To mark the historic occasion, there will be a Public Holiday on Monday the 8th of May, as well as celebratory events across the country.

The Big Help Out encourages communities to get together to help those in need. From checking in on someone who’d like a bit of company or volunteering for a charity, the scheme aims to make a positive change to celebrate the Coronation. It comes alongside the Coronation Big Lunch, organised by the Eden Project, which helps local people organise big community lunches to mark the occasion.

An interactive Coronation Map has been launched, which allows you to enter your postcode and see what volunteering and event opportunities are available across Denton and Reddish. Those wishing to register events can also add theirs to the map, creating a database of brilliant community-led activities.

Welcoming the initiatives, Andrew Gwynne said: 

“The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla is a truly historic moment for the UK, Commonwealth and Beyond. It’s fantastic to see initiatives like the Big Help Out and the Big Lunch launching to mark the occasion.

“If you haven’t already, please have a look at the Coronation Map, there’s some great events already popping up, and lots of room for more to be organised!

“If you are organising volunteering activity, or a community lunch to celebrate the Coronation, please do let me know by dropping my office a call or email. I’d love to help support it and spread the word.”

The March of the Living is an international Holocaust memorial and education programme. I was lucky enough to be invited alongside Labour MP Sharon Hodgson and Conservative MP Robert Courts, to represent the British Parliament.

 

From Monday through to Thursday, we were shown the death camps which the Nazis built to carry out their programme of murder and dehumanisation of the Jewish people, as well as those who didn't fit into their perverted ideology.

We were given tours of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II, as well as Majdanek in Lublin. It was incredibly traumatic to walk around these sites and see the scale of the operation, and worse to comprehend the scale of the atrocities that took place on these sites.

We also heard testimonies from Holocaust survivors. The survivor who travelled with the British delegation was Mala, an absolutely remarkable 95 year old woman who I feel very privileged to have met. Listening to her share her experiences, I was reminded of just how recent these atrocities happened. This isn't far removed historical events, it is the lived experiences of people like Mala, and will be felt for generations to come. 

 

Among the heartbreak and profound sadness of the trip, there were moments of real hope and inspiration. On Tuesday, I marched with around 9,000 people to show that - despite over 6 million Jewish souls being wiped out by the Holocaust - Hitler’s ultimate aim to completely eradicate the Jews from the face of the earth did not happen.

The March and ceremony were incredibly moving, especially the lighting of seven torches in memory of those Jews who died, those who survived, those righteous who saved lives, future generations and to also commemorate those non-Jews who were also murdered in the camps.

On our final full day in Poland, it was a privilege to attend a memorial sermon in Lublin, where I said a few words about how the March of the Living programme had affected me. 

While learning about the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust, I have been struck time and time again by the courage of the human spirit. I have been inspired by the Jewish people, young and old, whose very existence is proof that Nazism and hate did not win. 

'Never again' must be more than words, it must be deeds.

 

Last Saturday, I went along with Cllr Allison Gwynne to two great community events in Denton.

First was the Denton Methodist Church Community Table Top Sale and the second was the Spring Fair at Christ Church. 

There were lots of great things to buy and eat, although sadly I had to resist the temptation to try the incredible cake and sweet treats on display!

 READ: Thanks to the Tameside Reporter for covering my thoughts on the fantastic efforts of Friends of the Tame Valley in their Spring Clean last weekend. 

Read the full piece here.