It is a huge privilege to be elected as Monmouthshire’s first ever Welsh Labour Member of the Senedd to represent the new constituency of Sir Fynwy Torfaen.

Some of you will know I have represented Torfaen since 1999 and I want to assure readers in Monmouthshire that I will be a strong voice for whole of the new constituency.

There is no doubt that this has been a very difficult election for Welsh Labour and we have got a lot of work to do to rebuild. But as your local MS I am here to help.

I can help with issues to do with hospitals and GPs, schools and education, road and rail transport, farming, culture, the environment and the Welsh language.

I can bring matters to the attention of the Welsh Government, challenge decisions on your behalf and point you to the right support services. I will do all I can to get the best outcomes for you.

Being a vigorous advocate has always been fundamental to my work as an elected representative. The ability to argue for and affect real change is a rare privilege and one I take seriously. I am here to stand up for Sir Fynwy Torfaen.

For those that don’t know me, a bit of background. In the last Senedd, I served as both Cabinet Secretary for Education and Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing. I am really pleased to have been appointed as spokesperson on Children, Education and Lifelong learning for the Welsh Labour shadow team.

Away from party politics, I am really passionate about suicide prevention and children and young people’s mental health.

In the Fifth Senedd, as Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, I led a major inquiry into the emotional and mental health of children and young people in Wales. The Mind over Matter inquiry examined specialist child and adolescent mental services in Wales.

As a result of that work, I pushed the then Welsh Government to adopt a whole-school approach to mental health, make counselling available to all learners aged six and above, provide child and adolescent mental health in-reach services in schools, and ensure mental health is a statutory part of our curriculum.

Before entering politics, I worked extensively in the voluntary sector, and was a researcher for the late Glenys Kinnock MEP. I was born in Merthyr Tydfil and attended Cyfarthfa High School before studying French and Italian at the University of Reading.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you think I can help. My email is: [email protected] and my constituency telephone number is 01475 740022.