New Wellbeing Centre at St James’ Church in Holywell,

MS for Delyn

I’ve been out and about a lot in the last week – on Wednesday I spoke at a multi-district equalities event in Manchester organised by ASLEF and I was able to provide some insight into my experiences as a trade unionist. I also joined Unite members at Aldi in Wrexham to stand in solidarity with workers of Oscar Mayer companies, who began an indefinite strike in early September. Oscar Mayer is one of the UK’s largest ready meal manufacturers and supplies many of our biggest supermarkets and these workers are fighting against the company’s outrageous fire and rehire plans, which could see them lose up to £3,000 a year. Oscar Mayer’s proposal to slash paid breaks, reduce other breaks and eliminate enhanced payments for working Bank Holidays is unacceptable – the UK Government is aiming to end the use of fire and rehire policies, but we need companies to reverse these tactics and provide reassurance to their workers.

I also went along to the busy opening night for a new venture for The Gathering café and bistro in Mold at Mold Golf Club – the much-loved café is now providing the catering for the golf club. It is great to see this partnership taking off – Mold Golf Club is a lively and friendly club in a superb location in Pantymwyn overlooking the Clwydian Hills, so to combine all the club has to offer with the very popular food from The Gathering is a win-win. I also attended the opening ceremony of the new Wellbeing Centre at St James’ Church in Holywell, presided over by the Archbishop of Wales and the Bishop of St Asaph. The ancient building, which has been largely unused for the last 15 years, has been transformed into a place of healing and wholeness for the whole community.

I recently went to watch Mold Alex FC, a club I sponsor, who played Airbus – despite the 3-0 defeat for Mold, it was a good game against a strong Airbus side. Before the game, Mold Alex FC marked Show Racism the Red Card to show that sport should be inclusive for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from. There can be no place for racism or hate of any kind – whether on the playing field or in public life – and I was proud to take part in the recent Wear Red Day as part of the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. If you’re concerned about racism, you can report incidents at www.theredcard.org – a campaign supported by the Football Association of Wales.

Earlier in October I spoke at a Grayling Cymru Wales event held in the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. Alongside representatives from other political parties, I spoke about ‘the road to the seventh Senedd’, what the next few years will mean to the Senedd and the people of Wales in the run up to the next Welsh Parliament elections in 2026. With the audience being made up of senior business and government affairs professionals from Wales and beyond, it was a useful opportunity to hear from Welsh businesses and to hear their views on Welsh politics and how businesses can play a part in shaping future government goals here in Wales.

Local residents might be interested in the Sunday Gathering artisan market taking place in Daniel Owen Square this Sunday, running from 10am and 5pm. The market will include artisan food, drink and craft stalls and it’s a great way to stock up on some delicious local food and drink – the organisers are hoping it will become a regular market in the new year. And last week I held my funding fair in partnership with Flintshire Local Voluntary Council (FLVC) at the Daniel Owen Centre – thank you to everyone who joined us! It was a good opportunity for local groups and organisations to connect with funding sources, but if you missed it you can still discover funding opportunities through FLVC by signing up to their newsletter at www.flvc.org.uk.

Finally, if you’re between the ages of 50 and 74 you should be getting a bowel cancer screening test from your local NHS surgery as part of a new initiative to improve early detection rates – nine out of 10 people will survive bowel cancer if it’s found and treated early. The easy self-screening kit should be delivered to your home and it only takes a minute to do – you can find out more at https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/screening/bowel-screening.

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.