Recently I was pleased to invite the Minister for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, to Maindee Primary School to learn more about the recent School of Sanctuary status they were awarded.
It is always good to visit Maindee - and I was pleased that Jane was able to see at first hand the wonderful energy and ideas of the pupils and staff, together with the rich mix of ethnicity and culture.
This came only a few days before Prince William visited as well, to recognise the work the school was doing to support the community, with a wide range of services, such as health, social care and housing, for the benefit of pupils and their families.
Another recent feature of their work and engagement is their hosting of the annual Maindee Festival.
The weekend just gone, I attended and participated in the festival – a celebration of the diversity of the communities in this area of Newport.
It has run since 1997 and uses arts and environmental activities to bring together people of different ethnicity and cultural background, ages and faith communities.
This event is one of my constituency diary highlights of the year and is a memorable and special occasion for everyone who attends and participates in the parade.
The Punch and Judy politics we see on our TV screens and social media can create the impression that all politicians do is argue and dislike one another. However, there are issues that Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru can all work together on.
Last week I sponsored a “Great Get Together” Senedd coffee morning with my colleague Sam Rowlands MS, a Conservative MS, who sits on the Local Government and Housing Committee with me.
The event was held with the Jo Cox Foundation which was set up following the tragic murder of Jo in 2016 - and its core message is “We have far more in common with each other than things that divide us”.
The event allowed Senedd members and their staff to meet with representatives of the Jo Cox Foundation to discuss their work in bringing communities together.
It was an important reminder of, however, strong our disagreements can be, we are all one community.
* As always if there is anything my team and I can help with, or if you have any issues you want to raise with me, please don't hesitate to get in touch via email at john.griffiths@senedd.wales or call 01633 222302.
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