DEESIDE’S Assembly Member paid a special tribute to remember the fallen heroes of Flintshire.

Jack Sargeant AM used an Assembly Statement to pay tribute to and remember the Flintshire residents who lost their lives in the World Wars and conflicts since.

He asked fellow Flintshire AM Hannah Blythyn - who is the Welsh Government Minister responsible for the Armed Forces - about support for veterans as well as talking about this year’s remembrance events in his Alyn and Deeside constituency.

He said: “I was privileged to be able to join veterans and members of the public at the cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, something which I have very fond memories of doing as a young child, hand in hand with Dad. And, again, I was privileged to join members of the public and veterans at the cenotaph in Connah's Quay.”

On November 11, a special service was held at the Connah’s Quay and Shotton war memorial which showed the unveiling of a commemoration stone for the additional 23 people from the area who fought in WW1.

Mr Sargeant said it was an opportunity to pay tribute to those who ‘made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we all cherish’.

But raised the question of what support is out there for mental health.

He added: “As we pass the hundredth anniversary of the ending of world war one and mark the 80 years since the start of world war two, it is incumbent on my generation to do all we can to remember those who fought in these conflicts and all conflicts since.

“Remembering is not just about these events, it is also about making sure that our veterans are given the support that they deserve

“It is extremely difficult even to begin to imagine what the service personnel have seen while on active duty.

“So, please can you outline what mental health support is available to veterans but also available to serving personnel, as well as their families, and any areas that she feels this provision can be improved?”

Ms Blythyn added that it was a ‘priority that needs to be supported’ in terms of veteran’s mental health which is why Welsh Government has invested in the Veterans’ NHS Wales Service.

She said: “There are people who may not know that the service is available, might not feel able to go and get that support, which is why that peer-to-peer support is so, so important, but also the work that we're doing in the scoping exercise, making sure that we're speaking to those people, veterans organisations, where they feel there may be gaps in services.”