Jon Ashworth MP helped wrap and sort presents at Matrix House on Friday.

The Toys on the Table charity campaign works in the Leicester and Leicestershire area to provide new toys for children of all faiths who might not otherwise receive anything during the holiday season. The charity receives only new gifts from donors, or funds which can be used to purchase new gifts. Last year the campaign helped nearly 4,000 children.

Jon, who this year donated a Poppy's Pony Adventure toy for 18 months to 5 year olds, said: “This is the second year running that I have been involved with the Toys on the Table charity campaign. As a father myself, I know how important it is to parents to give their children presents and gifts during the holiday season. Toys on the Table enables parents to provide those gifts at no cost, something which is particularly important for hard-up families in such tough economic times.”

“I wholeheartedly commend the campaign and encourage everybody in Leicester to get to their nearest drop-off point, donate a new gift, and make the holiday season that bit more special for families suffering from financial hardship.”

This event was supported and organised by Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, Leicester City LINk and the Voluntary Sector Mental Health Partnership Forum on behalf of Jon Ashworth.

Jon said: “The significance of good mental health in today's society is well documented, and so it is important to raise the profile of mental health services in Leicester. I will be hosting a Mental Health Summit next year with the aim of bringing about effective commissioning of services between Health and Social Care, especially given the changes to be brought about to the NHS following the passage of The Health & Social Care Act.”

“But it is important that the services jointly commissioned are what are needed and wanted by people with mental health problems and their carers. This Pre-Summit is about listening to service users and carers and taking on board their views on, experiences of, and ideas for, mental health services in the City.”

As well as giving a voice to service users and carers, this event gave the various mental health charities and organisation operating in Leicester the opportunity to have a real say.

David Barsby, from Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, stated: “A Mental Health Summit is very timely as from next year GPs and Clinical Commissioning Groups will be taking on the responsibility of commissioning health care provision.”

Today Jon Ashworth MP directly challenged Prime Minister David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions over levels of youth unemployment in Leicester.

In response the Prime Minister surprised all present by answering about the situation in Birmingham.

Mr Ashworth said: “Today I challenged the Prime Minister on the unacceptable levels of youth unemployment in Leicester and across the country and asked about the Future Jobs Fund scheme that has been found to be a success even though this government abolished it.”

“Today there are 3,636 young people unemployed across Leicester, 1,315 in my Leicester South constituency – a figure that is higher than at the general election.”

“But rather than answer on the situation in Leicester, Mr Cameron instead focused on Birmingham.”

Jon Ashworth MP visited the Inter Faith Exhibition at Leicester's Highcross Shopping Centre on Saturday 24 November, which celebrates the diversity of the City's faith communities.

The Inter Faith Week Exhibition will showcase eight member communities of the Leicester Council of Faiths, and representatives from each of the major religions will have their own banners and promotional literature to distribute to the general public. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and Baha'is will all be represented at the Exhibition. Information is also available on Leicester Secular Society and on how to report hate crimes.

This year's Exhibition is the fourth running to be held in Leicester's Highcross Shopping Centre and is part of the national Inter Faith Week being celebrated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The aim of the Exhibition is to promote accurate knowledge about the various religions practised in the country today, and the Leicester event in particular hopes to bring people together and celebrate the unique diversity of the city.

The Christmas Fayre, which was organised by the Community Association's Events Committee, was on Saturday November 24.

Jon said:“It was great meeting local residents at the Fayre and taking part in some of the many activities that were going on. I'm often in Eyres Monsell and I was delighted to be asked to attend the Christmas Fayre.”

As well as various stalls and events in the main hall of the Eyres Monsell Community Centre, there were other activities taking place in the Magpie Youth Centre next door. This is where Santa was in his Grotto.

Jon commented:“It is good to see the community coming together for Christmas and I am pleased that the Community Association receives on-going support from the local Councillors.”

The Christmas Fayre ran from midday until 4.30pm. There was a children's entertainer, face painting, a raffle, tombola, various stalls and hot food throughout the afternoon.

Jon Ashworth MP visited Crown Hills Community College on Friday 23 November 2012 as part of the ‘Parliament Week' initiative designed to encourage political participation amongst younger people.

‘Parliament Week' is a national initiative jointly co-ordinated and launched by the House of Commons and House of Lords, aiming to raise awareness of democracy and democratic institutions in the UK. The initiative had its first ever launch last year, with thousands of people participating in events around the country.

As part of this year's national ‘Parliament Week', Jon Ashworth chaired a debate at Crown Hills Community College amongst Year 11 students aged 15 to 16. The debate was on funding cuts to Further and Higher education, and students discussed how cuts to financial support, such as the abolition of Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), affect College and University educational progress.

Jon said: “It was very interesting hearing the students' views on the cuts being made to Further and Higher Education. This is an important issue because these students will be directly affected by these policies. It'll also be good to chair a debate, instead of being the one always asking the questions!”

“It was good to see the young people engaging with such issues, and I was pleased to see that they're getting involved in political discussions of this sort.

Jon Ashworth MP has been awarded Total Politics Magazine's MP of the Month award for December 2012.

The magazine credited Mr Ashworth for the determination and resilience with which he conducted his campaign to reinter the suspected bones of Richard III at Leicester Cathedral.

The award comes just as Government Minister Helen Grant confirmed in answer to a written question by Mr Ashworth that the current plan is to reinter the remains in Leicester Cathedral, should they be found to be those of Richard III.

Jon Ashworth MP presented the Speaker of the House of Commons with a petition opposing the closure of Nipper's Nursery, Saxon House, Leicester.

The nursery, which is an in-house HMRC facility, provided by Bright Horizons, is due to be closed on 30 November 2012, following an alleged decline in numbers of children using the facility. HMRC made the decision to close eight of its in-house nurseries back in August 2012.

Mr Ashworth presented the petition after a similar petition with 272 names and signatures was posted to his office. The petition denies the assertion that the nursery has declining numbers and states that its users believe it to be a valuable, viable, and well-loved nursery used by the staff of HMRC and local parents alike.

The Highfields Area Plan was formally launched on Friday 16 November at the Highfields Centre.

Jon said: “The Highfields Area Plan is an important framework for the delivery of services and activities in the Highfields area, but what is significant about the Plan is that it was put together following consultation with local people and agencies.”

The Area Plan is intended to help the City Council and its partners plan services based on local priorities.

Jon commented: “So many times local plans are put together, or services planned, without listening to the local community. By listening to local people and agencies the Highfields Area Forum is seeking to make services more responsive and relevant to the area and at the same time ensuring that limited resources are used effectively.”

Jon Ashworth MP visited Leicester High School earlier today to meet with students who were stuck in New York after Superstorm Sandy prolonged their half-term trip.

A group of 38 students from the school visited New York as part of an American cultural trip. This visit was only meant to last for seven days, but due to the effects of the storm the students, along with four members of staff, were stranded in the City for longer than expected.

The students have been offered alternative flights home, with three of the girls returning on Tuesday morning and the remaining 35 girls returning on Wednesday morning. However, six of the stranded students were due to have their GCSE English re-sit exams on Wednesday, and one of the students had an exam to sit on the same day for the BMAT medical school examination. To account for the disruption caused by the storm, the school had arranged for the examinations to be rescheduled, giving the girls some time to recover from their ordeal.

On Sunday 4 November 2012 Jon was at the Belgrave Road ceremony along with Keith Vaz MP and Liz Kendal MP, which saw the switching-on of Diwali lights all the way down the iconic Golden Mile.

Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and commemorates the victory of good over evil.

The Diwali lights in Leicester are switched on every year a few weeks before the day of the festival itself, and last year the ceremony was attended by over 35,000 people. Diwali celebrations in Leicester are reported to be the biggest such celebrations in the world outside India, with tens of thousands of people regularly participating in the celebrations.

Speaking before the ceremony, Jon commented: “The Diwali lights switch-on ceremony should be a very exciting event! I attended the event last year and thousands of people had gathered to watch the lights being turned on all the way down the Golden Mile. The atmosphere was fantastic, and I'm sure it'll be the same again this year.

Jon Ashworth MP visited the University of Leicester to give students an opportunity to meet their local MP and talk to him about issues that matter to them.

The visit, organised by both the University of Leicester Students' Union and Leicester Labour Students Society, provided students of the university a unique opportunity to talk to Jon direct about the issues they feel are important to them.

Jon met with James Farndon, Campaigns and Involvement Officer at the Students' Union, and Sean-Kelly Walsh, President of Leicester Labour Students Society, as well as meeting many other students who were on campus.

Speaking before the event, Jon said: “It is important to remember that Leicester is a university city, and students make up a significant portion of our local population. With the University of Leicester being in my constituency, I am keen to hear the views of students and want to know which local and national issues are most important to them.”