When I announced that I’d be running a Christmas card competition for local primary schools I had no idea how hard it would be to choose a winner.

The entries were all magical, full of creativity, imagination and colour. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, was very impressed with the winning entry by 10-year-old Evelyn from Nightingale Primary School, which is landing on doorsteps across my constituency now.

Christmas is of course a time to enjoy socialising with friends and family.

I know that many of our local pubs, cafés, restaurants are continuing to face huge challenges, which is why I held a debate in Westminster recently calling for more Government support for the Eastleigh hospitality industry in the run-up to Small Business Saturday.

In Eastleigh, the hospitality industry contributes £114 million annually, employs 1,805 people, and encompasses 84 venues, including some fantastic cafés, such as The Coffee Cabin, which recently celebrated its third birthday, many superb restaurants, and 32 local pubs, including Steamtown in Bishopstoke and The Steel Tank Alehouse in Chandler’s Ford.

Yet, despite the remarkable community contribution our hospitality industry generates, the sector is under immense pressure from rising energy bills, increased employer National Insurance Contributions, and consumer changes after the Pandemic.

It is important to remember that every closed hospitality venue is not just a lost business but a lost opportunity for social connection and local employment.

Supporting our local businesses is hugely important to me, so it was brilliant to visit Ahmad Tea in Chandler’s Ford and congratulate the team on winning the King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development.

They also gave me the opportunity to learn how to professionally “taste” tea (which involves two big spoons and a spittoon)!

This week, the Labour Government announced that it won’t be giving women born in the 1950s who were victims of State Pension Age Inequality any compensation.

This is a huge blow to the thousands of women in Eastleigh and across the UK who were impacted.

Shelagh Simmons from Solent WASPI and other campaigners deserve huge respect for fighting for women from Hampshire for so long, and I sincerely hope the Government will rethink this disastrous decision.

Parliament is entering recess which means MPs will not be in Westminster for a few weeks.

When we return in January, I will be looking forward to speaking on my colleague, Dr Danny Chambers, MP for Winchester’s Private Members Bill to end illegal puppy smuggling (the bill also includes measures to protect cats and ferrets).

Meanwhile, I will be supporting the bill by my colleague Dr Roz Savage, MP for South Cotswolds, to address the climate and nature emergency. I hope that these bills will get to the next stage and be supported by the government.

My first six months in parliament has been a whirlwind but what makes it all worthwhile is being able to help my constituents with the issues that matter to them.

I will be thinking about those less fortunate this Christmas and hoping for better things to come in 2025.