John Nicolson - SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthshire

My social media timeline is full of pictures reminding me that one year ago I stood on the stage of the Alloa Town Hall looking out on a sea of happy faces and cheering supporters. It was a fabulous end to long weeks of campaigning.

I promised I’d be the most accessible MP we had ever had. I was determined to make good on that promise. Within weeks, we’d opened a constituency office. I made sure voters knew exactly what I was up to on social media. And I was delighted to accept an invitation to write columns for the Perthshire Advertiser.

And then COVID-19 struck and the world changed. It has been a brutal time.

Financial worries have created misery for many families, and businesses have suffered. And while individual MPs can’t always deliver solutions, I want you to know my office and I are there to support you however we can.

With vaccines arriving in clinics across the country, the end is in sight. I can’t tell you how I yearn to hug my friends and family. I know you feel the same.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement in public and private you’ve given me throughout the year.

I wish you a very happy Christmas.