I THOUGHT I would start my November column by letting everyone know that Christmas is rapidly approaching.

It might seem too far away for a lot of people to be thinking about now but not for mums, as most of us will have been making our Christmas lists and now that the shops are filing up with Christmas goods we will start to put the odd item or two into our weekly shop.

I really love Christmas time. It’s a chance to get together with family and to create lasting memories for children and grandchildren. But it can also be very stressful for families on low income especially now with the cost of living going through the roof, so if you do have a little extra cash and you want to spread a bit of Christmas cheer, you could consider donating to a toy bank, supporting your local foodshare or maybe just take a bit of time to check on an elderly relative or neighbour to make sure they are managing at this time of year.

I’ve been a bit busier than normal over the past couple of months as I’ve re-joined the National Park Board so I’ve been getting updated on a lot of changes as part of my induction. I’ve also had the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities on the council such as vice chair of housing, employability and communities services which I’m really excited about. It can be quite technical at times, with a range of national and local strategies and policies to contend with, but I’ve got lots of experience as a council tenant myself so I know the fantastic services that housing can provide but I’ve also experienced the frustration and worry we all experience when trying to get repairs and improvements done to maintain a safe, secure and warm home. I’m really looking forward to the challenges ahead.

In November we will begin our “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence”. This is a national awareness raising campaign across Scotland which runs from November 25 to December 10. The campaign includes lots of awareness raising activities including forums to focus on key subjects like children and young people experiencing violence, mental health and lots of local awareness through social media. Sadly West Dunbartonshire is consistently in the top three for domestic abuse so we have a huge task on our hands to help change attitudes and behaviours and we can only do that through raising awareness and challenging the abuse.

I would like to finish my column with a thank you to all those volunteers and groups who do so much for our area, whether its litter picking, running youth groups and sports clubs, directly helping others through charitable activities or just donating towards a good cause. Your hard work and dedication doesn’t go unnoticed; please just keep doing what you do. Thank you.