Andrew Jenkins

A few weeks ago, the family and I went over to Brecon for the county show and then a walk through the town.

Popped into StoriPowys: y Gaer which was amazing - definitely worth going to if you're around!

My son demanded that we pick up a few things in Printopia Brecon, and we bought a few more things in some other local shops.

Don't think I ended up with anything for myself though...

Want to help shape the future of Resolven Miners Welfare?

📢 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳!

We want to hear from the people who matter most — our community.

What would you like to see at The Welf? Are there new activities, services, events or facilities that would encourage you to use the building more?

Please take a few minutes to complete our community survey. Your answers will help us understand what local people need and guide the future development of this important community building.

🎁 Everyone who completes the survey can also enter our fortnightly £𝟮𝟱 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄.

📱 Scan the QR code on the poster or use the survey link in the comments. If you would like a paper version of the survey please email us at [email protected] to request a copy.

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀! ❤️

It was great to go along to Skewen Community Garden today for their open day. I learnt a lot about their work over the last five years and their hopes for the future!

Plaid Cymru's first supplementary budget would've invested more money into;

✅️ NHS
✅️ Childcare
✅ Free school meals
️✅️ Additional learning needs
✅️ Social housing
✅ Bus services
️✅️ Child payment
✅️ Child swimming

However, Labour, Tories, Liberal Democrats, and Reform all voted against it.

As a result of this vote, none of the areas listed above will get additional investments.

As a former Labour member, I cannot believe that the party voted against additional money for the NHS, for childcare, for additional learning needs, and for social housing.

This a triumph of pettiness over principles, and quite frankly they should be ashamed of themselves.

Today, Members of the Senedd face a choice.

They can vote for more money for our health service to help bring down waiting lists, more money for childcare so that parents can have at least the level of funded childcare the previous government promised but failed to deliver, money to expand free school meals so that more children at secondary school levels will have a guaranteed meal, money to extend the £1 youth bus ticket scheme so that children can travel on our buses for a reduced rate, and money for children with additional learning needs with an ongoing commitment to find a long term, sustainable solution that delivers the support that is desperately needed.

Members in the Senedd can either vote for that, or they can vote against it.

Last week, the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health, and Women's Health, Delyth Jewell, outlined her priorities.

Among those priorities was further work on su***de prevention, particularly male su***de.

As it stands, roughly three quarters of those who decide to end their lives are men.

Men are less likely to seek help, and are more likely to struggle in silence.

The Deputy Minister also signalled an openness to having a conversation about a dedicated men's health strategy, a conversation I think is worth having.

I have already written to Delyth, and I am speaking to groups, organisations, and people with experience of mental ill-health to better understand what could be done at both a local and national level to save lives, reduce suffering, and improve wellbeing.

Thought provoking article by Ian Smith, a director and co-founder of Helpu - the men's mental health hub for Wales.

https://bylines.cymru/politics-and-society/health/what-happens-when-boys-grow-up-believing-they-dont-matter/