28 MARCH 2010: I enjoyed taking part in the Kidney Wales Foundation’s Walk for Life in Bute Park with Rhodri Morgan AM and Kevin Brennan MP.  I welcome the good news for kidney patients with the soft opt-out option proposed by the Welsh Assembly and the new renal unit due in the Heath.

For more information, click here.  

27 MARCH 2010: I opened the George Thomas Hospice Easter Fayre. There were Easter bonnets and cakes galore. So much good work depends on the goodwill and generosity of so many people.

21 MARCH 2010: I very much welcome the plans to create 250 jobs in Pontprennau. Barclaycard is consolidating its consumer loans business at the headquarters in Cardiff. This is a feather in the cap for the financial services sector in the city.

14 MARCH 2010: Rhodri Morgan AM and I gave certificates to Cardiff Bangladeshi restaurant owners who raised £25,000 for Haiti. They donated a day's takings and their customers also gave very generously. Incredibly impressive effort.

10 MARCH 2010: I went to pick up a certificate in the House of Commons at the APPG on Small Shops after nominating the Recliner Chair Centre in Heath.

I was happy to recognise this small and independent retailer in Cardiff North.

7 MARCH 2010: I attended an International Women’s Day celebration at the India Centre in Cardiff. It was a great way to celebrate the achievements and aspirations of women.

5 MARCH 2010: I went to Whitchurch High School with Rhodri Morgan AM who was donating some books to the library. Here we are pictured with Whitchurch High School students and Huw Jones-Williams, headteacher of the school.

5 MARCH 2010: I went to Ty Glas to the Inland Revenue to receive a petition from PCS representatives (a petition of 1000-plus signatures) asking for the government to reopen negotiations regarding the civil service compensation scheme.

4 MARCH 2010: I visited  Allensbank Allotments with Frank Sagona, Secretary of the Allensbank Allotment Association, to look at problems regarding how overgrown the allotments are that haven’t been let out.

15 FEBRUARY 2010: I visited Vision 21 with Lesley Griffiths AM, Deputy Minister for Skills, and Rhodri Morgan AM. The charity provides vocational training to people with learning needs and does great work Founded by Barry Shiers MBE in 1987, it currently has 16 projects running in the community.

5 FEBRUARY: I went to the Heath Park Campus of Cardiff University to see where the PET Imaging Centre is being built. Funded by the Welsh Assembly, the scanner is a fantastic piece of technology which will be used to detect the early stages of major diseases like cancer. It is one of the most advanced scanners in the UK and the world.

23 NOVEMBER 2009: I organised a public meeting and candlelight vigil to show the concern in the community about the Whitchurch Schools Reorganisation plan. The meeting was very well-attended and I’m pictured here with governors Huw Evans, Joyce Crandon, and Gareth Richards.

30 OCTOBER 2009: For this year’s CSV Make a Difference Day, I visited Whitchurch Village with the Cardiff Access Group to highlight the problems disabled people face when going about their daily business. The press release is here.

17 SEPTEMBER 2009:  I was delighted to visit Pam and Gerry Jones and their lovely garden in  Whitchurch. They won the Best First Time Entrant Award in this year’s Cardiff in Bloom Competition.

7 AUGUST 2009: I was taken for a ride around Cardiff by Mark Spieling, a taxi driver from Cardiff North, who wanted to show me the problems taxi drivers are facing. I was shown the number of taxis in the City Centre and saw the difficulties taxis face in moving around the city. I will be looking into the issue.