A view from Clwyd South’s Member of Parliament

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home – you can find them all here.

In his column for November, Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes writes…

In recent weeks, I have continued to visit businesses, organisations and individuals across Clwyd South. I attended Madras VA Primary School in Penley on Friday 7th October, where I met staff including Headteacher, Katie Macey, and Amanda Kempster, as well as pupils as they re-launched their School Council for 2022.

During my visit, I announced the names of the pupils who had been elected to the School Council for the year and praised the school’s positive and uplifting environment.

It was wonderful to see the pupils engage with the process of electing members to the Council and I was honoured to be asked to read out the results.

I was also very pleased to visit the newly refurbished Cefn Mawr Community Social Club and to meet with the club’s new management.

During the visit, I met with Sam Ansloos who, with his father Marcus, have recently taken over the lease and running of the club. The club recently underwent a three-week renovation and re-opened on 1st October with an ABBA ladies tribute act.

It is fantastic to see the club organising different events for the community to enjoy and going from strength to strength.

I was honoured to be asked to open the newly-refurbished Cross Foxes pub in Pentre Broughton with Cllr Beverley Parry-Jones earlier this month. During my visit, I was struck by their emphasis on supporting the local community.

It was great to meet the Manager, Nina O’Callaghan, and the rest of the Cross Foxes team, including Gareth Jennings, Mark Knibbs and Jan Walker, and I was similarly impressed to see the renovations made to the pub interior which cost £165,000.

Their plans for the future, including Admiral Taverns Proper Pubs’ initiative to supply every community pub with a defibrillator, have my full support. The Cross Foxes is well worth a visit!

On 25th October, I was pleased to have another regular catch-up meeting with Llangollen Railway. The Trust Chairman, Phil Coles, and the Trust Manager, Tom Taylor, updated me on the latest very encouraging developments at the Steam Railway.

The restoration of Corwen station, benefiting from funds from the UK government, is coming along well and the Trust’s grant applications from other funds will hopefully prove successful and further bolster the impressive recovery of the Railway.

The railway’s passenger numbers this year have already reached 50,000 which is a huge benefit to Llangollen and the surrounding community. I will continue to offer my close support and attention as we move into the New Year.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 26th October, I was very pleased to champion our farmers in Clwyd South and the rest of Wales. Given that, after 20 years, Welsh lamb will once again be sold in the US, I asked the Prime Minister to comment on the size and prospects of this market for our world-beating Welsh lamb.

It was very encouraging to hear the Prime Minister unequivocally back British farming and highlight this significant £40 million US market which will benefit farmers in Clwyd South and the rest of the UK.

The following Wednesday marked Back British Farming Day, so it was a pleasure to represent the farming community in Clwyd South at the reception in Parliament organised by NFU Cymru.

I am honoured to have been reappointed by the Prime Minister as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial team at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport which gives me a vital insight into these areas of great importance to Clwyd South.

This year’s Remembrance Day was more poignant than ever with the appalling return of war to Europe.

I was honoured to place a remembrance cross in the Constituency Garden of Remembrance in New Palace Yard in the Houses of Parliament on behalf of Clwyd South, and honour all those in Clwyd South and rest of the United Kingdom who gave their lives for our country – Lest We

Forget.

I continue to send out a monthly e-newsletter so constituents can read more about my activities in Clwyd South and Westminster.

If you’d like to start receiving this monthly MP’s e-newsletter, you can sign up using the following link: www.simonbaynes.co.uk/sign-simons-e-newsletter.