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Andrew Gwynne MP's Weekly Update
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Hello and welcome to my weekly update!

It has been another busy week in Parliament as well as across Denton and Reddish & Gorton and Denton in the run up to Christmas, with Parliament rising for recess next week.
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Whilst the government continue to waste taxpayer's money with their fire sale of HS2 land, Denton & Reddish constituents are still left with shoddy rail services.

When I called this out at Transport Questions, the Minister has no answer.

This week I joined with parliamentary colleagues from across Greater Manchester in writing to the Chief Constable Stephen Watson to address the disturbing rise in hate crime since the outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza.

We cannot allow conflict in the Middle East to damage community cohesion here, and I look forward to hearing what steps Greater Manchester Police are taking to combat this.
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I praised the work of my Reddish constituent Nathaniel Yates on station accessibility, and welcomed the funding we have received for accessibility work at Reddish North.

I asked the minister when funding will be available to improve access at Levenshulme in the new Gorton & Denton constituency.

I look forward to seeing the Great British Railways study, and will continue to work with Nathaniel and others on this important issue.
Andrew in the constituency

ST MARY'S FOODBANK APPEAL

This morning I dropped off the food collected at my constituency office, as well as my own donation of food, to the St. Mary's Church & Community Food Bank, in Haughton Green.

It was also great to be joined by Brett and his team from Denton-based Inology I.T. who brought a van load of food. This local company does such a lot of work to support good causes in the town.

HOWEVER food stocks are much lower this year, in part because more people are feeling the pinch themselves and so donations are down - and more people need the support from the food bank too.

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻, 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆’𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀.

They are particularly short of basic staples like tea and coffee, tinned rice pudding, soup and biscuits. They’d also appreciate donations of Chocolate treats for kids. A full list of what they need is on their Facebook page (link above) and no donation of any in-date food will be turned down.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀. Like them, I want to live in a society where Food Banks aren’t needed. But as they sadly are, I’d like to express massive appreciation for those who give their time freely every week to ensure local people get the support they need. You are real heroes.

GORTON & ABBEY HAY CAMPAIGNING

I had a great time over in Gorton and Abbey Hey Ward delivering Christmas cards and the latest newsletter from Councillors Julie Reid, John Hughes and Afia Kamal to residents.

There’s even an introduction from me as the Parliamentary Candidate for the new Gorton and Denton constituency.

It’s good to get out and about and speak to people in the new patch!

GREATWOOD HOUSE

I had a lovely visit to Greatwood House in Haughton Green, which is one of HC-One’s homes in Tameside.

It was great to speak to both management and staff on social care issues, but even better to mingle with residents who were doing Christmas crafts.

I even made my own Reindeer, which I promised I’d take to London and photograph it in Parliament next week!
Andrew in the the media

Christmas can be a difficult time of year for many of us.

The expectation to be happy and jolly all the time often takes its toll, particularly when this time of year can bring back old memories of those no longer with us, or of happy times past.

It’s why checking in on friends, relatives and neighbours can have a particular impact, as whilst many of us will be merry and bright at Christmas time, many will be struggling.

It’s particularly difficult for those who live alone, often elderly, often vulnerable, and often without a community around them to provide support and emotional connections during a time when they can be so needed.

What this time of year does show us, is how strong the spirit of our communities is, and the impact we can have when we come together and support each other.

Whether it’s businesses, big and small, throwing their doors open on Christmas Day and welcoming anyone in need of some Christmas cheer and company through their doors, or simply checking in on a neighbour who might be on their own.

Every action has an impact, however insignificant it may seem, and simply by dropping a card round or inviting someone in for a cuppa and a mince pie, you could make their Christmas.

All year round, but particularly at this time of year, there are some fantastic organisations across Tameside and beyond that work to tackle loneliness.

Just recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Age UK Tameside’s 131 club, which does fantastic work supporting older people at risk of loneliness and isolation.

The club brings people together every week to take part in a range of activities from arts & crafts, quizzes, sing-alongs, and a home-cooked meal.

It provides people the opportunity to socialise, and make connections with others, which can make a major difference, especially for older people.

It is testament to the legacy of my former colleague, Jo Cox, that her Loneliness Commission is continuing to have a significant impact.

Their work, benefitting many organisations including Age UK, is driven by Jo’s vision that “I will not live in a country where thousands of people are living lonely lives forgotten by the rest of us.”

So whoever it might be, make sure you check in on someone who might be on their own at the moment, you never know the difference you could make.
Community Board

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Andrew Gwynne . 139 St Annes Road . Denton . Manchester, Greater Manchester M34 3DY . United Kingdom