MS shares his weekly updates from across North Wales
MS for North Wales
It was a pleasure to attend the official launch of the Eden Project's Big Lunch Campaign for Wales 2025 at 'Outside Lives', Aberduna Hall, Gwernymynydd.
The Big Lunch is the UK's annual get-together for neighbours and communities.
Mold-based 'Outside Lives' actively brings together members of the community, providing activities and events that support personal wellbeing and growth, building stronger, healthier connections among people through shared interests, understanding and celebrating our natural world.
I met charity 'Young Lives vs Cancer' to discuss the key findings in Wales of their new report 'The Cost of Waiting – The need for improved benefits support for young cancer patients and their families', which found that more than half of young people with cancer and their families face extra expenses within the first month, and that almost a third of patients finish active treatment before receiving a decision on benefits.
I also met the UK charity 'Missing People', which is dedicated to offering support to children and adults when they go missing, to discuss the important issue of children and adults going missing in North Wales.
Each year approximately 18,000 missing incidents are reported in Wales, while across the UK more than 170,000 people are reported missing in 320,000 incidents.
I was told that 1,400 of those incidents are adults in North Wales and, worryingly, that 555 children were also reported missing to North Wales Police last year alone, involving more than 2,800 incidents.
Discussion included the need for this not to be seen as just a Police issue, and instead for multi-agency prevention and emotional support; the strong link between missing adults, mental health and suicide; and concern that although 'Return Home Interviews' are offered to children and young people in England, they are not offered to them in Wales, despite evidence showing that they reduce harms and those going missing again.
People who go missing are among the most vulnerable in our society, including care experienced or exploited children, adults in mental health crisis, and older people living with dementia.
Other engagements included a briefing on the proposed Carbon Dioxide Spur Pipeline to connect the cement works at Padeswood with the HyNet Carbon Dioxide Pipeline at Northop Hall, focused on carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce emissions from industry and support economic growth, and an interview for research about politicians' attitudes towards the companies that will develop renewable energy projects across the UK, and how developers can best communicate with politicians and their constituents.
For help, email Mark.Isherwood@senedd.wales or call 0300 200 7219.
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