August is a great month for me to get out and about around Torfaen to speak with people in our communities.

It was fantastic to attend Able Radio’s announcement of its National Lottery Community Fund grant of nearly £100,000. Able does incredible work for people with disabilities in Torfaen, so it’s always nice to pay it a visit, especially in such positive circumstances. Thanks also to Torfaen Voluntary Alliance for their hard work to help.

It was also a pleasure to visit Gateway Credit Union to discuss its work in Torfaen. Times are tough at the moment with the cost of living crisis really biting, so the work of Credit Unions like Gateway is more important than ever.

Despite the sometimes changeable weather, I managed to visit many outdoor fetes and events this summer. The afternoon summer of fun organised by the Croesyceiliog councillors was just one of these events, where I saw the paddle courts being well-used and heard about the opportunities available from Torfaen Adult Community Learning.

I also called in to the Torfaen Summer Jobs Fair. It was good to see local employers and advise services in attendance, and to learn more about the needs of employers and the opportunities available for local people.

I’ve been watching the news about Wilko with great concern. The loss of their stores would be huge for our town centres, and most of all for their staff, so I hope a deal can be done that enables them to remain open.

More positively, it has been good to speak to so many local businesses this summer, including Brickfab, Austin & Co Barbers, Nu-coat and the award-winning Wood U Believe It.

As you’ll have read in the South Wales Argus, thanks to the hard work of our local businesses, Torfaen has been recognised by Oxford Business College as a business hotspot. I wish all these businesses every success, and am always happy to speak to local entrepreneurs to see what more can be done to help.

In Pontypool Park last week we gathered to pay tribute to Ruth Tucker, the longstanding clerk of Pontypool Community Council, who passed away earlier this year.

Ruth was an outstanding public servant and a determined advocate for Pontypool. So it’s a fitting tribute that she will be remembered with a Memorial Bench in Pontypool Park. It was nice to gather with Ruth’s family, friends and former colleagues to remember her and celebrate a remarkable life.

Lastly, congratulations to Pontypool Youth Councillors for their amazing work with the Night Out Young Promoter Project.

They organised a performance of the show ‘L’Hotel’ by Circo Rum Ba Ba at Pontymoile Community Centre last week, and it was a pleasure to attend alongside Lynne Neagle MS and see how successful it was.