'First Food & Drink Festival kick off in the town'

MS for Delyn

It’s been a busy week at the Senedd and there are a few things that readers in North Wales will be interested to hear about. Firstly, the Welsh Government announced that £20.8million will be invested in transport projects across North Wales to improve public transport and encourage economic growth, which includes a safer route to walk, scoot and cycle to Ysgol Treffynnon and Ysgol Maes Y Felin in Holywell. Readers will be pleased to know that Flintshire County Council will be able to submit proposals to the Welsh Government for local transport improvements in our area that will help to deliver the priorities and ambitions of Wales’ Transport Strategy, including projects to minimise disruption to the highway network and bus journey times caused by severe weather.

The review process on the 20mph policy has also been started and we can now look at improving road safety in Flintshire while at the same time making sure that it works well in practice across our communities. The statement from the Transport Secretary this week shows that the Welsh Government is listening to the people of Wales and the minister will work with councils to deliver targeted change to the implementation of the policy – something I know many residents will be happy to hear.

Readers will also be interested to hear about how the Welsh Government has joined forces with the other UK governments to bring in a deposit return scheme for drinks containers ¬– a policy which I’ve been championing since I was appointed Environment Minister back in 2017. Wales is already a recycling nation and our recycling performance is the highest in the UK and among the very best in the world and this scheme will help to capture drinks containers so that they are not wasted and can go back into the system, creating an important part of our circular economy without all the environmental issues associated with extracting raw materials. It is a shame, though, that the UK Government itself has chosen to water down the original proposals, which would have created a more robust scheme and resulted in less litter and less waste.

In the Senedd last week I was proud to sponsor and speak at the first Lesbian Visibility Week event to take place in our Welsh Parliament. The event, in collaboration with S4C and Diva Magazine, saw women, non-binary people and allies come together to listen to guest speakers such as Char Bailey, Kate Hutchinson and Lisa Power. Lesbian Visibility Week was created to raise awareness and to celebrate the achievements and contributions of lesbians to the LGBTQ+ community. It was a pleasure to hear about the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ+ people in Wales and celebrating the diversity and value of our community in all walks of life.

Back in Flintshire, Saturday sees Holywell’s first Food & Drink Festival kick off in the town. The event, which will be held on High Street and Tower Gardens on May 4 from 11am until 3pm, will have an artisans market, food and drink stalls, a DJ, cooking demonstrations, food tasting and many activities for children – and there’s also free transport into the site from various places in Holywell and Greenfield. Well worth a visit – especially if you want to check out our amazing local food producers.

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 until an advice surgery.