A Christmas message from your MP

The festive season is finally here! I’m all the more excited to spend Christmas with my family this year after the whirlwind of a year this has been. 

From being Royal Devon Hospital’s charity fundraiser for the first half of the year to North Devon’s MP in the second, it’s felt like I’ve been here, there and everywhere. 

So to be able to take some time with my wonderful family is something I am very grateful for.

However, we need to remember that not everybody has this privilege - for some, the season can be an isolating and lonely time. 

This is precisely why it should be a time for gratitude and togetherness. 

Our community here in North Devon unquestionably recognises this - each year we see the strength of our community in how we come together to support one another. 

Incredible local organisations offer their support, like the North Devon’s Hospice, the Northern Devon Foodbank, Families in Grief, and NDADA to name but a few. 

And, of course, we have all those who keep our community running throughout this period, like the carers, NHS staff, armed forces, hospitality, and emergency services. 

These people work so hard, and often behind the scenes. 

North Devon cannot thank you enough.

As we approach the New Year, I am reflecting on the hundreds of cases that my office and I have been and are still working on. 

I hear from people unable to access an NHS dentist, those stuck on the housing waiting list despite dire need, parents struggling to find the right education for their children - and my office and I do all that we can to offer support. 

But, it must come from above. 

So, as we move into the New Year, I will continue the fight for the improvements North Devon needs in parliament.

But one thing that stands out from all the challenges we’ve faced, both as a community and as a nation, is our area’s resilience. 

Whether that be the recent Storm Darragh cutting hundreds off from power or the Winter Fuel cuts stripping many pensioners of much-needed support, we have seen North Devon come together to help one another in a whole host of different ways.

This is something to be proud of.

With that, I want to finish my column by acknowledging what I think we can all agree on: that North Devon does Christmas well. 

Even for those that don’t celebrate it or mark the season in different ways, we can all appreciate the area's sparkling lights and trees, and the heightened sense of community it brings.

Let’s all soak up the festive atmosphere, celebrate together, and look out for those

who may be struggling during this time.

And as we move on, I will continue pushing for the hospital funding we need, more NHS dentistry access, action to stop the sewage in our waters, and support for GPs, hospices, health providers and small businesses.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas!