From the window-fronts of shops along our high street to a wonderful Christmas tree in Market Place, it is so lovely to see our town even more bustling ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations!
For many in our area, Christmas is a time to join family and friends to eat, drink, and be merry, and through the Christmas story comes the lesson to be generous and supportive of others.
I know that this year, many have felt the squeeze of higher inflation caused by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, this year, our country has come together to support one another, with measures such the Energy Price Guarantee paying essentially half of an average household energy bills and additional cost of living support targeted to those most in need.
As I have written here before, the Prime Minister set out this year to cut inflation in half to permanently ease the burden on local families, and this is exactly what we have achieved together through difficult decisions taken this year.
Alongside this, I know that there are a number of excellent local initiatives from local community groups, charities, and local authorities to help those who may need a little bit of extra support within our community.
I see examples of this all the time when home, and especially last week when I thanked the students and teachers at The King’s School for their efforts organising their annual Toy Bank in Grantham.
For the past eight years, students from The King’s School have harnessed the generosity of local people to gather toy donations from our town. These toys are then placed within the George Shopping Centre for families in receipt of child benefit. The Toy Bank has been open on Wednesday afternoons for the last two weeks, with their final opening this week.
Due to the dedication and thoughtfulness of the young men involved in this project, it is wonderful that over one hundred local children are set to awake on Christmas morning to presents provided by kind-hearted people from all across Grantham.
Throughout the year, there are local organisations continually dedicated to supporting children and their families in particular. As I know myself, those early years of being a parent are perhaps the hardest, so it was great to drop-by again last Friday at the Swingbridge Children Centre run by Lincolnshire County Council.
Our children’s centre is one of a number across Lincolnshire supporting hundreds of parents each year. Crucially, they are free and open to all, and provide support from pregnancy to five years through a variety of early years, antenatal education, and baby massage sessions. Those who have made use of the service continue to share how helpful this has been and how they were able to build a strong, supportive friendship with fellow parents.
The centre also offers a baby and child clothes exchange to support families in need, so I would encourage anyone who has unwanted items that are still in a good condition to join me in donating to one of these fantastic local centres.
This Christmas, let’s come together with our family, friends, and as a community to celebrate what makes our area so special, and give thanks to those who go out of their way to help their neighbours in times of need.
