One of the best parts of being your MP is getting to meet some of the brilliant people who give up their own time to make Monmouthshire an better place to live.

That’s why I launched my Monmouthshire Community Hero Award – to publicly recognise people who go above and beyond for their local community, often without many people knowing about the incredible work they do.

So, I was delighted to recently surprise Monmouth resident Jim Handley with my first ever Community Hero Award.

Jim is exactly the kind of person I wanted to celebrate when I launched the Community Hero Award. He has spent around ten years organising regular litter-picking sessions across Monmouth, bringing volunteers together to help clear rubbish and look after the area.

I recently joined Jim for one of his regular litter picks and had a great time getting stuck in and meeting the other fantastic volunteers.

On our walk, Jim explained that they are actively looking for more volunteers so they can have an even bigger impact, particularly younger volunteers who are also looking to make a positive difference in their community.

Jim runs sessions every month and encourages anyone interested to get in touch with him by email via: [email protected].

You’ll receive a very warm welcome, and it’s a lovely chance to socialise with people, get your steps in and help keep Monmouth looking lovely.

Jim is an absolute inspiration, and my Community Hero Award is about celebrating people like him from right across Monmouthshire – whether they volunteer, campaign, care for others or simply go out of their way to help their local community.

Nominations for this award are still open, so please suggest who else should win an award here: https://www.catherinefookes.com/monmouthshire-heroes

There are so many people across our towns and villages quietly doing fantastic work every week, and I want to make sure some of them get the recognition they deserve.

Jim is the first of many Community Heroes I hope to recognise with this award, and I’m looking forward to celebrating more of our brilliant local heroes over the coming months.