Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week. After meeting community leaders from Sheffield Central’s mental health organisations last year, I’m making it a priority to platform their voices.

The theme for MH Awareness Week was ‘community,’ making it the perfect opportunity to highlight the impact our voluntary and community sector is having on Sheffield Central.

From well-being gardening groups to volunteer GPs calling vulnerable and lonely people, they are continuously coming up with creative solutions to support their community.

They make a profound difference to our mental health, and protecting their funding empowers them to continue this vital work.

Our communities thrive because of their stability and support.

Despite the result, I had a great time with Sikhs for Labour campaigning for Karen Shore.

Thanks for having me!

Thank you to Sheffield’s Ukrainian community for inviting me to their annual Easter barbecue aimed at strengthening community ties.

A fun and informative afternoon in the sun with families hearing about their struggles and hopes for the future.

Community is at the heart of everything I do, from the benches of the Chamber to the doorsteps of Sheffield. Youth provision is sorely lacking, but the Government’s promise of Youth Hubs across the country is promising and I am fighting for Sheffield to be selected for the trial.

For now, I met with providers of youth services from Sheffield Central to hear their challenges and priorities, which will feed directly into how we push to platform Sheffield in the national arena.

Thanks to everyone who came yesterday.

I attended an invaluable session from Aphasia Support where I heard about their plans for a South Yorkshire branch and a Sheffield aphasia café support group, which will be set up in conjunction with University of Sheffield students.

With a significant number of stroke survivors in our community living with aphasia, this support is so important.

I was thrilled to see that RegatherCoop have been able to buy the building they operate out of, thanks to a government grant approved by Angela Rayner.

Regather represent sustainability, wellbeing and community and I look forward to visiting again to see the positive changes the grant will bring.

I felt privileged to have met the Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, as part of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

The visit took place after the Government signed a Palestinian Memorandum of Understanding reiterating support for a two-state solution. Whilst I’m happy to see this renewed commitment, I’ll continue to press for state recognition

I dropped in to meet Graeme Le Saux to talk about the UK’s largest sports charity, the

Football Foundation and how they’re ensuring every community has a place to play football and bringing communities together.

It was a great opportunity to discuss the work of our local group Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) who promote cohesion through the best sport in the world.

I first met Mai Mustaphanin over 25 years ago when I went to volunteer at Burngreave Community Action Forum at the start of my community development journey. Mai is a dear friend who went on to empower many others.

It was an honour to be invited to the award ceremony, for students from across Sheffield graduating from the Community Development and Health (CDH) programme (funded by SCC Public Health).

The programme is focused on confidence building, skills development, and self-help to improve individual, family, and community wellbeing.

A room full of inspirational people!

I visited BT Group’s new office in Sheffield and met some of the apprentices working there.

BT’s apprenticeship programme has been running for over 60 years, with 500 apprentices across the UK, with twenty currently studying and working at the Sheffield office.

Apprenticeships combine education and hands-on experience, and it’s great to see programmes like this in Sheffield Central

I was delighted to see that the Great British Energy Bill has passed! This will mean:

Publicly owned, clean energy

Thousands of green energy jobs

Funding for community-led energy

A great step towards community energy.

This year’s Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering came to Sheffield, welcoming over 2000 competitors from Elite Orienteers to complete beginners.

Representing 140 clubs and 28 countries, this is a truly international event, and it was great to welcome everyone to our wonderful city. Congratulations to the winners and all those who took part.

Congratulations to Nether Edge Primary on their Outstanding ratings! This is down to the hard work of the whole school community and I’m delighted to see these results!

As Sheffield MPs and Lord David Blunkett, we met with the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club Trust to hear fans’ concerns about the club’s future. Ultimately, they want what is best for their club, as do we.

We wrote to the Chairman, requesting a meeting with the aim of opening up better communications channels to ensure that constructive and positive discussions can be held to find a long-term solution to the current situation.

I attended the Teenage Cancer Trust’s roundtable to hear about the challenges young people with cancer are facing in relation to clinical trials.

Learning from experience is often the most progressive route to a solution that benefits everyone.

It was important for me to attend the the MS Society drop in. MS is a lifelong condition, affecting people in different ways. It’s difficult to understand the day-to-day reality that someone living with MS faces without hearing the stories first hand.

Medication is developing but we still have a long way to go. I’ll continue to raise awareness to support their cause

As part of the Students APPG, I took part in the start of the Students Commission. The first evidence session heard from experts from London Economics, the Sutton Trust, Engineering Professors’ Council, and UCU who presented different tuition fees and maintenance funding ideas, including a progressive repayment model, grants for low income students or getting employers to pay more.

As a commissioner, I asked the experts about how maintenance loans/grants could reflect students increasing cost of living expenses.

Many of my constituents have been raising concerns about the recent planning application by McDonald’s to put in a drive-thru to an already incredibly congested area near London Road and Broadfield Road.

I’m strongly opposed to this, not only on the grounds of congestion and pollution, but on the impact it will have on local businesses, the wellbeing of my constituents, and the immediate environment and residential area.

Read my letter to the Planning Committee.

It was a hot and sunny day campaigning in Doncaster for Ros Jones.

It was a pleasure to campaign for hardworking local Labour Councillors and candidates across the constituency and meet so many local residents.

Congratulations to Ros for her well deserved victory!

After the outbreak of hostilities, I released a statement condemning the attacks and calling on the Foreign Secretary to urge action with the international community for de-escalation.

Although both countries declared a ceasefire, tensions remain high. People living along the Line of Control continue to live in fear. Kashmiri people continue to suffer since the revocation of their special autonomous status in 2019. Violations of human rights, including continued displacements, are still the order of the day.

I will make sure that Parliament continues to hear Kashmiri voices.

I joined St Matthew’s Church to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, where they laid wreaths at the Sheffield War Memorial in Barkers Pool in honour of those who have served and sacrificed.

It was an emotional and powerful event witnessing Uriah Rennie’s installation as new Chancellor of Hallam University.

Uriah was a formidable referee but an incredible advocate for local sports and activities. He’s loved by so many and is an asset to Hallam University. I look forward to many more years working together to improve our great City. Congratulations Uriah!

The June conference in New York led by the French and Saudis is the ideal time for the UK to recognise the State of Palestine.

There are many who say now is not the right time. But as is said by so many – if not now, when?

Read our letter to the Foreign Secretary.

Private parking companies have been acting without fear of reprisal for over a decade. A number of my constituents continue to raise complaints about excessive fines, deliberately confusing payment methods and obtuse communication.

It’s time for a statutory code of conduct.