'Good to see communities across the constituency come together to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee'

MS for Delyn

It was good to see communities across the constituency come together to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over the extended bank holiday weekend, from street parties in town and community centres to children’s festivities and services of thanksgiving – the fact that we were unable to get together for so long made the celebrations all the more poignant for many.

It was a busy start to the Jubilee weekend for me, as on the Thursday it was an honour to attend the Royal Gun Salute and Festival of Military Music in Cardiff on behalf of the Welsh Government. I also had the pleasure of meeting with the captain and some of the crew of HMS Severn – a Royal Navy ship affiliated to Wales - which was docked in Cardiff Bay as part of the Jubilee celebrations. Then later that evening, I was pleased to make it home in time to attend the lighting of the iconic dragon beacon in Bettisfield, Bagillt - it looked amazing and we could see the beacons along the coast at Greenfield and Flint as well as across the Dee Estuary. It was great to see one of our very own beacons feature in much of the coverage!

I’m proud to be the Welsh Government lead on support for our veterans, and I closed the weekend joining veterans who served in the Falklands Conflict as they started a cycle ride from Cardiff to Aldershot to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict. It was a privilege to support the bike ride alongside veterans and have an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who served and their families. The cycle fittingly started from the moving Falklands Memorial in Cardiff and I even managed to get on my own bike and join the group for the first part of the cycle out of the city.

In the coming weeks, I will also attend the Royal British Legion Falklands 40 service at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire and join the First Minister at a Wales Falklands 40 Service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff. It is incredibly important that we remember and recognise all those who Served and were impacted by the Falklands war – forty years ago service personnel from across Wales and the UK travelled to the Falklands and 255 of them never returned. Their loss and that of their families is to be remembered.

With the weekend over, it continues to be a busy period, as on Tuesday I had the opportunity to introduce legislation to the Senedd for the first time. The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill is intended to improve well-being and public services through social partnership and socially responsible procurement and will put Wales’ successful social partnership working on a more formal footing. Social Partnership is the embodiment of our Team Wales approach which has really come to the forefront and demonstrated its value during the coronavirus pandemic – this legislation will future proof social partnership to ensure that future generations not only benefit from better work but also from strong, sustainable public services.

If you have any questions about my work as your Member of the Senedd or would like to ask for advice and support, please get in touch with me on 01352 762102 or at Hannah.Blythyn@senedd.wales.