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October 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my monthly newsletter for October 2024.

I hope you enjoy this update on some of the work I have been doing in Erith and Thamesmead and in Parliament over the last month.

As ever, if you want to get in touch, don’t hesitate to contact me using the email address: abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk

Abena

The Budget 2024

This month, it was crucial to hear the Chancellor outline the new Government’s vision to fix the foundations of our economy and deliver on the promise of change. After years of economic mismanagement, low wages, and low growth, I fully support this plan to repair the damage left behind by the last Government.

This Budget is focused on investing in our public services and supporting working people and families across the country, including those in our community of Erith and Thamesmead. If you have any questions about how the budget may affect you and your finances, please get in touch.

Christmas Card Competition Launch

Delighted to announce my Christmas Card Competition for 2024 has now been launched! Each year, I receive brilliant designs from primary schools across Erith and Thamesmead, with the winner being used as my official card design! You can find out more about the competition and how to get involved here.

Launch of Black Culture Collective CIC and Black History Celebration

It was a pleasure to speak at this important launch and celebration event at the Nest in Thamesmead. The Black Culture Collective (BCC) provides a Connected Communities Fund for local projects that make a real difference in the lives of people in our constituency. I expressed my appreciation for their great work.

Visit to Alex McLeod Primary School

Lovely to visit Alex McLeod Primary School this month on Show Racism the Red Card Day. I spoke with pupils about my journey to become an MP, the importance of Black History Month and I also joined in for some football practice! Thanks to the school for having me and the pupils for their great questions.

Asda Belvedere work on Breast Cancer Awareness

It was inspiring to visit the Asda Belvedere store earlier this month to find out more about their Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign. Speaking to the store manager and those volunteering, I heard about their community engagement work and their great fundraising activities on this vitally important issue.

Ministerial work in the Cabinet Office

It has been another important month working in the Cabinet Office as minister responsible for national security, resilience and civil contingencies.

To build on this work, I was pleased to recently travel to Yorkshire to meet with local leaders and experts from across the country working to keep their communities safe from future threats.

As part of our ongoing review of the UK’s resilience, I met with Local Resilience Foru chairs from 11 regions across Northern England at the Emergency Planning College just outside York. You can find out more about my visit here.

Furthermore:

  • Apple Day at Woodland Farm Trust – Delighted to join Woodlands Farm Trust in Shooters Hill for their Apple Day on 13th October to celebrate Britain’s favourite fruit!
  • Kinship Carers Parliamentary Reception – Very nice to join a local Kinship carer from the constituency at this valuable parliamentary reception.
  • Prostate Cancer Parliamentary Reception – Important to attend Prostate Cancer UK’s reception. Thanks to all the constituents who have raised this issue with me.
  • Breast Cancer Now Reception in Parliament – Really grateful that Breast Cancer Now came to meet MPs, like me, in Parliament this month to raise awareness.
  • Passing of Lord Herman Ouseley – Very sad to hear that Lord Ouseley has passed away. He was a strong advocate and trailblazer, and my thoughts are with his family.
  • Welcome Reception with US Ambassador – It was great to attend a Welcome Reception for Labour MPs at Winfield House, home of the US Ambassador.
  • Black History Month Receptions in Westminster – I was delighted to join so many wonderful colleagues and friends this month to celebrate the contributions of Black Britons, including events at 10 Downing Street and at the Speaker’s House.
  • Women’s Lobby Reception – Good to attend the annual Women’s Lobby Reception in Parliament to connect with women building their careers in journalism.
  • Anti-Slavery Day Awards – Important to join the Human Trafficking Foundation and campaigners at this event and speak about concerning human trafficking issues.
  • Health Strategy Public Engagement Plan – Pleased that the Health and Social Care Secretary has launched a public engagement plan that will feed into the Government’s upcoming 10 Year Health Plan for England. You can contribute here.
  • Constituents attended PMQs – It was great to sponsor two constituents to visit PMQs this month. I’m glad they enjoyed their visit, and it was nice to catch up after.
  • Meeting with Clinton Walsh, Borough Commander for Bexley – Very important to discuss local issues with the Bexley Borough Commander at the London Fire Brigade.

Stay updated on social media

For regular updates on my activities, follow me on Twitter (@abenaopp), Facebook (Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Erith and Thamesmead), and Instagram (abena.oppongasare.mp).

You can also sign up to my digital newsletter at www.abenaoppongasare.com/get_in_touch

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Christmas Card Competition 2024 Launch


I am excited to announce that my annual Christmas Card Competition has officially launched! Each year I run this competition for primary school students across our constituency to produce amazing artwork that is sent out to local stakeholders in Erith and Thamesmead.

The theme for this year is: ‘What makes Erith and Thamesmead a fun place’. Pupils can draw or paint a design that shows what they love about places in our constituency, ensuring it has a Christmas theme. This might include sporting activities that make them happy, the parks or open spaces, local communities, shops, landmarks or even family and friends.

Entries must be accompanied by a few sentences explaining what the landmark means to the young artist and why they chose to draw it. The artwork will be assessed by a panel of judges, and the winning design will be used as my Christmas Card and sent to more than 1,000 local people and groups.  

In addition to the main prize, the winner and two runners up will receive a gift. 

The submission process is as follows:  

  1. The artwork must be A4 in size (including the pupil’s name, age, class and school) 
  2. It must be accompanied by a few sentences explaining why the pupil chose to draw it 
  3. Pupils or teachers must scan or take a photo of the artwork and send via email to abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk 
  4. Submissions must be received by close of play on Friday 25th October 

The winners will be announced in an email to all participating schools shortly after the deadline. I hope to attend the winning schools to present the prizes in person and will be in touch with the relevant school(s) to arrange a suitable date and time. 

Below are some previous winners to provide some inspiration!


Previous Winners:

September 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my monthly newsletter for September 2024.

I hope you enjoy this update on some of the work I have been doing in Erith and Thamesmead and in Parliament over the last month.

As ever, if you want to get in touch, don’t hesitate to contact me using the email address: abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk

Abena

New Government’s Economic Plan

A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and highlighted the black hole in the public finances left by the previous Government.

He made clear that some tough and unpopular decisions will need to be made at the upcoming October Budget to make sure the Government achieves its goal of fixing the foundations of the economy.

After 14 years of Conservative mismanagement, I support this important agenda to pick up the pieces and finally deliver the change the country desperately needs.

University of Greenwich Visit

It was a pleasure to visit the University of Greenwich’s Avery Hill campus this month and speak to the senior leadership team.

We spoke about their plans to break down barriers for students, establish local community projects and their ambitions to lead the sector in social mobility. 

Erith Town FC

Great to see Erith Town play Croydon Athletic, witness their 3-0 win and support grassroots football in the process. Honoured also to become a patron of the club and present player of the match!

Emmaus Greenwich

It was also inspiring to visit Emmaus Greenwich earlier this month. Their work makes a real difference to people trying to overcome homelessness, giving them support, skills and the confidence to build better lives. I thanked them and their companions for speaking to me about their experiences.

Grenfell Inquiry Report

As the final Grenfell Inquiry report was released this month, I want to share my continued sympathies to all the families and friends of the victims of the Grenfell fire.

This report demonstrated how the victims were badly failed over many decades and how all the deaths were avoidable.

This must be a moment of change on unsafe cladding still in place and I will continue to push for necessary steps to be swiftly taken.

Ministerial work in the Cabinet Office

In recent months, I’m pleased to have hit the ground running as a Minister in the Cabinet Office – leading on national security and resilience.

In my role, I was pleased to recently meet Columbian Foreign Minister Luis Murillo, as well as attending the first meeting of the Flood Resilience Taskforce, which I am Co-Vice Chair. I’ve also been on several insightful visits including to Airbus Helicopters’ HQ in Oxford and the Met Office HQ in Exeter.

Furthermore:

  • Passing of Nicky Gavron – I was devastated to hear this news about the former deputy Mayor of London. She was extremely dedicated, principled, and supportive.
  • Stephen Lawrence’s Legacy – Stephen would have celebrated his 50th birthday this September. Like many, his legacy inspires me and motivates us to push for justice.
  • The Ballad of Thamesmead – Had a fantastic time at this performance by Dante or Die Theatre. The Thamesmead Community Choir were excellent.
  • Plumstead Open Studios – I went to visit some of the brilliant local art exhibitions at Plumstead Open Studios – it is great to see so much talent in our constituency.

Stay updated on social media

For regular updates on my activities, follow me on Twitter (@abenaopp), Facebook (Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Erith and Thamesmead), and Instagram (abena.oppongasare.mp).

You can also sign up to my digital newsletter at www.abenaoppongasare.com/get_in_touch

Meeting with Luis Gilberto Murillo


In my role as Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, it was a pleasure to meet with the Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo to discuss the importance of our UK-Colombia partnership in tackling critical global challenges.  

We discussed the UK-Colombia security partnership and resilience against climate change. 


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Becoming a Patron of Erith Town FC


It was great to see Erith Town FC play against Croydon Athletic recently and witness their huge win.

It was a real honour to become a patron of the club and present player of the match. Grassroots football is deeply important to me, and to have such a special club run by great people in my constituency makes me very proud.

Their community work and youth engagement play a vital role in our constituency, provides a valuable sporting outlet, and develops life-skills and local projects that enrich the lives and improve the wellbeing of so many residents.

Grassroots football is so important for local communities. Go and support your local team.


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Flood Resilience Taskforce Meeting


It was important to attend the first meeting of the Flood Resilience Taskforce as Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office. The Taskforce is led by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

The task force brings together leaders from local government, the emergency services and local resilience forums to make communities more resilient against flooding. 


Airbus UK HQ Visit


It was an honour to open Airbus Helicopters new UK headquarters and meet some of their staff and apprentices, this was done in alignment with my role as Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office,

Airbus helicopters are an important part of the UK’s security, assisting and supporting UK resilience through police, air ambulance and military helicopters.


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Plumstead Open Studios Visit


Whilst visiting Plumstead Open Studios, I got the chance to see how many talented people we have in our constituency. It was brilliant to view a wide range of locally-produced artwork and creative designs, including painting, photography, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, prints, and sculpture.


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Attending the Ballad of Thamesmead


I had a fantastic time recently at the ‘Ballad of Thamesmead’ performance. This was part of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, and presented By Dante or Die Theatre

Live folk songs by Abbey Wood singer Marie Bashiru were great, and the Thamesmead Community Choir impressed with a soaring sound design that included local peoples’ voices, culminating in the clocktower illuminated like never before.

It’s great to see such a broad array of talented artists, musicians, designers and creators on show in our constituency.


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Emmaus Greenwich Visit


It was inspiring to visit Emmaus Greenwich in my constituency, the work that they do makes a real difference to people trying to overcome homelessness, giving them support, skills and the confidence to build a better life for themselves. This type of community work is so important, and I thank them and their companions for taking the time to speak to me about their experiences.

This government is committed to seriously tackling homelessness across the UK, with the new cross government – Homelessness Taskforce which will develop a long-term strategy to combat this issue. Working alongside organisations like Emmaus, we have a real chance to improve the lives of so many suffering unnecessarily, building dynamic local communities with empowered citizens in the process