Although many activities were suspended in September following the sad death of Queen Elizabeth, there have been a number of local events where I have been able to meet and hear the views of local residents.

I hosted a coffee morning for residents at Burnage Library. It was great to bring the community together to talk local issues and politics over tea and biscuits. I was joined by Councillor Bev Craig, local councillor in Burnage and leader of Manchester City Council, as well as Afzal Khan MP, who represents a part of Burnage ward.

Many residents were concerned by speeding on and near Kingsway and Burnage Lane, and we had a wide-ranging discussion on different measures that could be taken to address the problem. We were joined by local PCSOs who were able to give an insight from the police as well – I am very grateful for their time.  We also talked about more national issues, such as pensions, climate change and the cost-of-living crisis. I have taken on board many of these comments and will pursue these issues in Parliament.

Didsbury Pride gets bigger and better each year. It’s great to see more and more local Prides set up across Manchester – it helps bring the local community together and celebrate LGBT+ life. Unfortunately the first Chorlton Pride had to be postponed as a result of the mourning period, but I look forward to attending when it’s rescheduled.

While I was at the Didsbury event I was pleased to attend the opening of a new “bleed cabinet”. These contain simple but potentially life-saving equipment that can help stop bleeding in the event of an accident or attack. I have been supporting Mero’s World – a charity set up by the mum of a young man who tragically lost his life following a stabbing, and which has installed new bleed cabinets across south Manchester for the past few months – I’m pleased Didsbury now has a bleed cabinet as well.

I was also pleased to celebrate 10^th anniversary of the reopening of the Old Parsonage in Didsbury. The Parsonage Trust  have done a great job with the Old Parsonage and the Parsonage Gardens in Didsbury, which is now a beautiful and much loved community facility. Special thanks are due to Steve Parle for his leadership and hard work on the project over the years.