Dear Constituent,

 

On Thursday, I joined thousands of others across Tameside out on my doorstep giving our NHS workers a huge round of applause. It wasn’t just here though – millions of people in every single town, city and village across Britain was out on their doorsteps, in their gardens, on their balconies or leaning out of their open windows cheering and applauding.

 

It’s a moment that I’ll remember for a very long time and a wonderful heart-warming few minutes during a very difficult and worrying time. More importantly, we were all doing the small amount we could do to show our appreciation and admiration for everything that NHS staff are doing to keep us safe at this time.

 

That isn’t just doctors and nurses, but administrators, porters, cleaners, healthcare assistants, physiotherapists and many others. They are all putting their own safety at risk every day for us. This has sadly been brought home for us in recent days with the tragic news of frontline NHS workers losing their lives to this virus. We owe all of our NHS workers a huge debt of gratitude and should never take their service for granted.

 

But our community heroes go far beyond the NHS. We must also be grateful to those working in social care looking after our most vulnerable, or in the retail ensuring that we have decent supply of food, or in our local council keeping vital services running. There are millions of people across the country doing their bit to support us through the crisis. It is a very stressful time for many of these people and many are not getting the appreciation that they deserve.

 

Then there are the volunteers – kind-hearted individuals giving their time to help out those in need. It says something about our country that so many hundreds of thousands of people responded to the call for NHS volunteers. I am hearing so many fantastic stories of people and businesses in our area going out of their way to help others and so thank you once again to all of the brilliant volunteers in Tameside!
 

Finally, I think we all need to be grateful to each other for following the NHS’s guidance on self-isolation and social distancing. By doing this, we are all, in our own way, reducing the spread of this virus and saving lives.

 

So thank you to all our community heroes in the NHS and elsewhere. Let’s all help them do their jobs by staying at home.

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has encouraged local sports clubs and community sport and physical activity organisations to apply for emergency funding during Coronavirus crisis.

Sport England has announced a new £20 million Community Emergency Fund, which is open now for local sports clubs and community organisations to bid for grants between £300 and £10,000.

The fund is for organisations and clubs experiencing short term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

This fund is designed to complement other sources of funding from the government, such as funds targeted at small businesses.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“Community sports clubs and organisations are so important for keeping people active and healthy.

 

“These will be particularly important once this crisis is over, as many people will struggle to exercise as much as they’d like during this period of social distancing.

 

“Unfortunately, without support, many clubs and organisations face the threat of closure or financial difficulty. To avoid this, I’d encourage local groups to apply for this Sport England funding if they’re eligible.”

Find out more about the scheme, eligibility and how to apply here.

 

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has expressed delight at news that buses will continue to operate on the 335 bus route.

The 335 route, which connects Denton, Dukinfield and Ashton-under-Lyne, was under threat of disappearing after it was announced that Manchester Community Transport (MCT) will cease to operate in Manchester from 18 April.

Gwynne has been calling for a solution to ensure that the vital 335 route is retained and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have now confirmed in a letter to Gwynne that Stotts will be the new operator of the service.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“I am absolutely delighted at the news that the 335 bus route will continue to operate.

 

“I was very concerned at the news that the service might be stopped and took my concerns – and those of many residents living on the route – to Transport for Greater Manchester.

 

“This is a really important route for so many local people and for our local economy, so I am delighted that TfGM will be working with Stotts to ensure that the route continues to operate.”