Leaders’ New Year messages

charities and health care organisations in Runcorn, I’ve seen the very best of people, facing up to the challenges laid down with dignity, commitment and a passion born from their desire to serve our communities and make the town a better place to live.

This spirit has been exemplified by the launch of campaign group Live Your Life, Drop The Knife following the tragic stabbing of a teenager in our town.

With thousands of people already signed up and in partnership with the council and local police, it has already conducted a series of successful knife sweeps and helped raise much-needed awareness among young people of the dangers of knife crime.

The Warm The Streets campaign in Runcorn Shopping City, where people donated coats to be donated to the homeless, also generated huge support.

As we turn the page to 2019, we still face many of these challenges, with the looming Brexit climax sure to dominate most of the headlines and our thoughts as we head into the New Year.

But a new year also brings hope.

Indeed, one of the things I’ve been hugely encouraged by during my tenure as MP for Weaver Vale is the passion and drive of our young people.

When I visit schools in Runcorn I will often attend Q&A sessions with the pupils, and I never fail to be genuinely amazed and inspired by their levels of insight, and the passion they have for their community and our country’s future.

This is a new generation that’s engaged on a huge a range of topics from politics and the environment, to social justice and world affairs.

It’s a generation that is open minded and committed to a better future.

And to that end, they won’t let people like me rest on our laurels, and that’s the way it should be.

So let us look towards 2019 with hope and a justified belief that, while we may live in challenging times, we have the strength and togetherness to overcome those challenges.