Happy New Year to all my constituents in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock!
It has been another rather busy festive season and I was pleased to be able to volunteer, for the 22nd consecutive year, with Voluntary Action South Ayrshire (VASA).
They deliver an oven or microwave-ready Christmas dinner and presents to isolated and elderly people in our community, who would otherwise be on their own on that special day.
The lovely VASA volunteers delivered Christmas dinners and presents to about 125 people and, for many, provided the only social contact that the elderly people would have on that day.
My thanks to Marie Oliver, CEO of VASA, and Rae Gray, project leader for Christmas Day, for all the hard work they put into organising this event throughout the year.
As many of you will be aware, the importance of the contribution of volunteers in our communities is a subject close to my heart.
I am always struck by how much personal satisfaction that I, as a volunteer, get from giving up my time for such a worthwhile cause: I can thoroughly recommend it.
Continuing the theme of volunteering, I’d also like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the ‘head elf’, also known as Jodie McFarlane of the Night Before Christmas Campaign (NB4CC). She has been awarded a British Empire Medal in recognition of her services to families and children in Ayrshire.
Since 2015, this fantastic campaign has sought to ensure that children from Ayrshire and even further afield, whose families may be struggling, receive a present for the festive season.
The recognition for Jodie as the campaign’s founder and for all the volunteers who work tirelessly on its behalf is richly deserved. My thanks also to the many businesses and individuals who support the NB4CC all through the year.
As we begin a New Year, it is traditional for many of us to be making resolutions of various kinds, such as eating more healthily, being more organised or perhaps even offering time as a volunteer.
My own personal resolution for 2024 is to reaffirm my commitment to representing you all to the very best of my ability, holding the current government to account, and seeking to promote the interests of Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock at every opportunity.
Of course, I will also continue to pursue the various issues I have supported over my time as MP, in particular the campaigns for justice for the Primodos families and for WPC Yvonne Fletcher.
No doubt the coming year will continue to bring challenges for us all: the ongoing cost of living crisis, the strain on the NHS and the difficulties of harsh winter weather are likely to be around for a while yet.
I hope that despite these, and any other challenges, 2024 also brings us all new opportunities for success and working together.
Finally, I wish everyone in the constituency of Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, whatever their political preferences, the very best of health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year.
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