Arriva is due to change the route of the 44 from Saturday 22 April 2017, but Jon stated:

“The 44 bus provides a lifeline to the many residents who live on and just off Pendlebury Drive. I am very disappointed that Arriva did not consider elderly or disabled people who will be forced to travel an unnecessary distance to catch a bus.”

Local resident, Mick Hermiston, has organised a petition for people to sign to object to the changes to the 44 route. The petition can be found at the first two bus stops as you enter Pendlebury Drive and the last two as you leave.

The Awards Ceremony, “Celebrating Success”, acknowledged the achievements of older people who have taken part in PYCA’s Social engAGEment Programme for elderly. The Programme is funded by the Leicester Ageing Together partnership, which is part of a Big Lottery funded programme aiming to address social isolation amongst people over the age of 50.

PYCA’s Social engAGEment Programme supports older people who are isolated and provides them with the opportunity to develop life skills and skills sharing through a programme of support, training, advice, counselling, guidance and advocacy.

East Africa is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe as conflict and drought bring famine across South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. 23 million people are in urgent need of food, water and medical treatment, and 16 million people are on the brink of starvation.

Last week, the Disasters Emergency Committee, which consists of 13 member charities including faith based charities such as Islamic Relief UK, launched the East Africa Crisis Appeal. On Friday Jon will be launching the Appeal’s National Day of Action in Leicester, with representatives across different faith institutions, at Guru Amar Das Gurdwara, as part of an interfaith initiative to work together to help this cause.

Jon stated: “Islamic Relief is on the ground in South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, already delivering life-saving assistance. They desperately need our help as over 800,000 children under five are severely malnourished.”

“I have written to Churches, Mosques, Gurdwaras, Temples and Synagogues in my Constituency to support the East Africa Crisis Appeal’s National Day of Action. A mere £25 could provide a month’s supply of life-saving peanut paste to a malnourished child.”

Jon backed the ‘Defend Second Transplants’ campaign after NHS England announced last July it would no longer routinely fund second stem cell transplants for people whose blood cancer or blood disorder relapses, effectively denying patients a cure.

Anthony Nolan’s campaign received a huge level of public support: more than 25,000 people took action by signing an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health, writing to their MP, or signing a petition calling for NHS England’s decision to be reversed.

In response to the Anthony Nolan campaign, on 24 February NHS England announced new funding for second transplants, providing hope for up to 20 patients annually in England whose blood cancer or blood disorder relapses after a year or more.

Jon Ashworth said: “I am proud to have played my part to Defend Second Transplants, which ensures blood cancer patients will be offered potentially lifesaving treatment.”

“Speaking to patients and experts at Anthony Nolan brings home just how important funding for second transplants is – thanks to this campaign people with blood cancer and blood disorders, whose disease relapses, have been given another chance of life.”

The service is relatively new, having opened its doors to local residents on 1st July 2016 to provide support to people who are affected by drugs or alcohol and want support to make a change in their life. Some of the support includes one-to-one sessions, recovery groups, counselling, detoxification and rehabilitation, and harm reduction services.

Mr Ashworth recently revealed to The Guardian his own experiences of substance misuse through his father’s addiction to alcohol. This has driven his support for children of alcoholics and the work done by substance misuse services.

Reflecting on his visit, Jon Ashworth MP said: “It is clear from my visit that Turning Point provides joined up and integrated services to people affected by drugs or alcohol.”

“I know from my own experiences with my Dad being an alcoholic that it is important to have services readily available like those provided by Turning Point. The demand for services in Leicester and the County is evident with there being approximately 150 referrals a week.”

Mammas are trained mother-to-mother supporters who have breastfed their babies and volunteer their time to help others. They offer support in over 30 languages and are from all of Leicester’s faith groups and communities.

At the visit Jon discussed the “World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative UK Report” which reveals that although there are good infant feeding policies and programmes across the UK England scores very poorly.

Jon stated: “I am disappointed that England does not perform well. One reason for such poor results is a reduction in support services and the lack of an infant feeding committee or dedicated national coordinator.”

The Report demonstrates that there are pockets of excellence in support services around the country, but many essential peer support programmes have been cut. As a result, women with complex needs do not always have access to skilled specialist support.

The Report recommends that the Government needs to create a national communication strategy to provide accurate information for breastfeeding support.

Jon commented: “I am a supporter of Leicester Mammas who do a vital job in training local mums and helping new mothers and their babies. It is clear that improvement is needed urgently at every level in order to provide relevant support and advice for mothers.”