Last week we marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
This will have been one of the last opportunities to pay tribute to living Second World War veterans and I was pleased to see so many fantastic events taking place across the constituency, including a poignant and powerful Lighting of the Beacon event at the Aneurin Bevan Stones in Tredegar, which I was able to attend.

These events provided a chance to reflect on the lessons of the Second World War, to remember those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
I was also pleased to see our Labour Government announce a new UK-wide veteran support system called VALOUR, to ensure veterans have easier access to essential care and support.
Through £50m of funding, the aim is to have VALOUR-recognised support centres in every part of the UK to work with health, employment and housing charities, as well as service providers and local government, to provide tailored local support for veterans.
This represents a major milestone in delivering our manifesto promise to fully implement the Armed Forces Covenant. Our veterans served with valour, our VALOUR support network will help ensure our country repays their courage.

Trailblazer Funding
In last month’s report I mentioned that I had been working with Welsh Office and DWP Ministers to secure “Trailblazer” funding for the constituency to help boost our local levels of economic activity and tackle unemployment.
I’m very happy to say that Blaenau Gwent council is one of the three Welsh local authority areas set to receive a share of £10m Trailblazer funding.
This programme will trial the roll-out of a new multi-agency, joined-up approach to employment support, with our local leaders shaping employment support schemes tailored to our community’s needs. This will include one-to-one mentoring, counselling, wellbeing services, and management of health issues.
This is aimed at helping people who are able to work, but not in employment, to find jobs, to help put extra money in people’s pockets and unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change.

Event with Torsten Bell MP
It was great to welcome our Pension Minister Torsten Bell MP for an event I held in conjunction with Gerald Jones MP in Merthyr Tydfil.
This event invited party members to join us for an interesting discussion on growing our economy, welfare and pensions.
Thank you to those who came along.

Steel
Parliament was called to sit on a Saturday a few weeks ago to pass emergency legislation and save British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant from closure.
I have spoken about supporting the steel industry many times in Parliament and I’m pleased that our Labour Government has ensured that Britain can continue to produce primary steel for the future.
What is also crucial is the point I spoke to raise during the debate, that our future industrial strategy must contain an extended section on Government procurement for steel.
I have mentioned this many times now. We have to create a strategy that prioritises using British steel in our defence and infrastructure projects so that British-produced steel can have a fair crack of the whip in the future. 

Everyone Deserves an Easter
It was another very successful Everyone Deserves an Easter campaign, made possible once again by the brilliant volunteers who came out on the day to help pack and deliver hampers for families across Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney and Merthyr Tydfil & Aberdare.
It was great to work with Gerald Jones MP on this project and once again proved to be a fun and fruitful morning, packing hampers at High Street Baptist Church in Merthyr.

A total of 75 hampers including the ingredients for a roast dinner and other Easter treats were delivered to families that need a hand by the Ebbw Vale Institute pantry team in Blaenau Gwent, the Caerphilly Cares team and volunteers in Rhymney and also via the Hospice of the Valleys.