AN ASSEMBLY Member has thanked his local community for their support, almost one year on from the death of his father.

Jack Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, said despite the difficult year, the community has been a ‘fantastic’ source of strength and support.

He said: "That has helped me personally as well as helping me to represent people’s interests in the Welsh Assembly.

"The support has been fantastic. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to bring a community together, but saying that, I always knew we had an incredible community up here.

"It’s been a difficult time for many people that knew dad, family and friends, so we’ve all had to support each other."

Carl Sargeant, former Assembly Member, died on November 7 last year and Jack said he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.

His first speech in the Senedd was dedicated to his father and the Alyn and Deeside community and has since aimed to bring about a kinder politics.

The Assembly Member entered the political world during an important period and said since February it has been non-stop.

He added: "My team and I have been working tirelessly to help local people on a range of issues.

"There’s been a lot of challenges, personally it’s when you’re trying your best to help someone. My office and I do everything we can to make sure we’re able to reach a good outcome.

"We’ve helped so many people across the constituency on a range of issues, sometimes that takes time. I wish we were able to change things quicker at times."

Jack has been doing a lot of work around homelessness, mental health and domestic abuse towards women in a bid to build on his father’s legacy and work on issues close to his heart.

He said a lot of what he is trying to do is motivated around raising awareness and he believes change can be achieved at the grass roots.

Carl Sargeant helped take through the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Act 2015 and Jack has been doing his bit to ensure white ribbons are readily available to buy, are on public service vehicles and that they appear on the crests of football teams across Wales.

The Leader recently reported how the Assembly Member slept rough for an evening in Chester and his experience when selling the Big Issue.

Jack said: "Mental health is a public health crisis, we need to speak out and tell people it’s ok not to be ok. I’ve been prepared to speak about my own issues with mental health in the hope that it will raise awareness and help someone else.

"2019 will be another busy year. I’ve been doing a lot of work around apprenticeships, automation and artificial intelligence, so I’ll keep working on that.

"We’ve also got a lot of decisions coming up which will impact directly on Alyn and Deeside. The Welsh Government’s Budget will be voted on and we’ll know more about what the future will look like post-Brexit.

"My constituency office will be busy dealing with casework and I’ll be going to different parts of the constituency, listening to people’s views and their ambitions for the future.

"I’m really looking forward to what the year has to offer and want to thank the people of Alyn and Deeside for their continued support and faith in me."