'I always welcome the opportunity to hear from local children '

MS for Delyn

It was great to have a visit last week from Year 5 pupils from Ysgol Glanrafon in Mold and Ysgol Terrig in Treuddyn in the Senedd – the students had an overnight stay in Cardiff before taking a tour of the Parliament building and learning more about what we, as Members of the Senedd and the Welsh Government, do for the people of Wales.

It was also another opportunity for me to speak Welsh as I welcomed them to the building and we chatted about what they care about and how they can still get involved with our democracy at such a young age, whether that’s writing to their Member of the Senedd and asking questions or for them in a couple of years' time taking part in our Welsh Youth Parliament by voting or even standing for the position themselves. I was asked questions ranging from flying cars and future technology to how I travel to and from work each week and my train journey. It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with the students before I had to go into the Siambr and then they got to watch First Minsters Questions.

Back in Flintshire on Friday, I had the chance to visit Ysgol Bryn Coch in Mold and spent some time talking with Year 4 about the issues they care about and answer their many questions – from what it’s like to be a Member of the Senedd, helping them to understand how laws are made, to underage vaping and issues around helping the environment. As communities week approaches, the students were thinking about what they would like to get involved with in their community and they will hopefully share their ideas with me – I always welcome the opportunity to hear from local children and spoke to them about the Welsh Youth Parliament / Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru, the role of which is to listen, respect and act on what young people from Wales have to say.

On Friday night I went to a fundraising event for Flint Pride, which I helped to organise with Councillor Mel Buckley. The first ever Flint Pride to be held on June 22nd and the fundraiser raised more than £2,000 for the event through ticket sales, a raffle and an auction. The guest speaker was Lisa Power, founder of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall.

Last week I also met with the Post Office to discuss Ffynnongroyw Post Office, which was recently earmarked for closure in May. I know that many local residents will be concerned about this closure as the Post Office can be a real lifeline in our communities, especially for elderly people who find it more difficult to get into larger towns regularly. My discussions with the Post Office centered around alternative arrangements for residents in the area and what can be done to lessen the impact of the closure at Ffynnongroyw – at the moment residents will have to travel to Talacre or Mostyn to access services. The company has promised to keep in touch about any plans for future provision in the area, which I’ll pass on to residents.

Finally, if you live in one of the communities within the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley AONB you might be interested to hear that last month applications opened for the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF), set up by the Welsh Government and managed by the AONB authority. The SDF is designed to fund projects in the area that create a more sustainable way of living in the countryside and provide opportunities for communities to remain socially and economically healthy. The scheme opened in April and a pot of £90,000 is available – grants can be made for less than £1,000 or larger grants of up to £25,000 and applications are open to community or voluntary groups as well as the local authority and the private sector and individuals. To find out more, go to www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/projects/2024-fund-open-for-applications.

As always, if you would like advice and/or support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on any of the following contact details – 52 High Street, Mold, Flintshire, on 01352 753464 or by email hannah.blythyn@senedd.wales. You can also keep up to date via my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/HannahBlythynForDelyn. Constituents are, of course, welcome to contact my office to arrange an appointment to see me, you don’t need to wait for an advice surgery.