I want to start this week by wishing a very happy 101st birthday to Mel Hughes, a true Monmouthshire hero.

It was an honour to visit D-Day veteran Mel and his family to celebrate this incredible milestone.

Mel was called up at just 18 years old, with only a week’s notice, and went on to serve for four years in both France and Germany, including during the D-Day landings.

Before the war, he told me the furthest he had travelled was Barry Island.

After returning home to Abergavenny, Mel continued to be an inspiration, supporting the Royal British Legion and raising thousands of pounds for charity through The Loyal Order of Moose Abergavenny. He also worked as an usher at the Borough Theatre until his late 90s.

An incredible man with an incredible story. It was a real privilege to sit down, have a cup of tea, and hear more about his life.

Across Monmouthshire and the wider UK, I know that potholes are a big issue. I recently met with Monmouthshire County Council’s highways team to better understand what’s being done to tackle the problem.

They told me they have seen a massive increase in potholes due to the wettest winter on record and severe flooding.

At the same time, teams have been stretched dealing with wider infrastructure issues such as landslides and road damage.

The good news is that, following the latest council budget, funding for highways is increasing significantly, nearly double the previous levels. This means more staff and additional pothole repair teams, helping to tackle issues more quickly across the county.

I want to say a big thank you to the teams on the ground. From speaking with them directly, I can assure you they are working incredibly hard in all conditions to keep our roads safe.

I also want to highlight the importance of raising awareness around metastatic breast cancer, following my recent meeting with Naomi at one of my surgeries.

Metastatic breast cancer occurs when breast cancer has spread to another part of the body. It is treatable, but not curable.

Naomi is also a volunteer with Met Up UK, a charity working to raise awareness, support patients, and campaign for better access to treatment.

Naomi explained that tragically, 31 women die every day in the UK from this disease. However, we do not properly track how many people are living with it, making it harder to plan support and treatment, and there remains a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing certain treatments and drugs.

As her MP, I’ll continue to support this work and push for better awareness, data, and access to treatment.