AS YOU read this, I will (hopefully) have joined tens of thousands of runners in completing the London Marathon.

If you told me a year ago, when I was still finding my feet in the Parkruns at Parc Bryn Bach in Tredegar, that I would have been entering the 2018 marathon I would have responded with a hearty laugh.

But having picked up the running shoes, the last few months of training have been some of the most rewarding in my life.

It’s helped that I’ve been raising money for the Hospice of the Valleys, who provide such an amazing service for hundreds of people in Blaenau Gwent every year.

As they always seem to be, the people from the borough have been very generous and it’s a testament to the kindness of our community.

I hope that I’ve done the borough proud – though I think I’ll volunteer for front bench duties to rest my feet for a day or two!

In Parliament, I have been pressing the government for a real response to the humanitarian crisis still developing in Yemen.

When you take on the role of an MP, it’s important to not only fight for local and domestic issues but realise there’s a real job of work to be done to make sure we’re doing our bit globally too.

The people of Yemen have suffered so much throughout this ongoing conflict and the Government must now play its part in bringing it to an end.

Peace talks are needed as the Yemeni people have suffered famine and are now dealing with outbreaks of cholera.

Cholera was a massive problem in south Wales, there is a cholera cemetery in my home town of Tredegar.

The government must work harder to make sure vital medicines are provided to deal with this dreadful disease in Yemen.

Finally in Blaenau Gwent my office are getting ready to handle problems that are likely to arise as the switch over to Universal Credit kicks in in July.

I’ve been working on this issue for years, ever since as part of the Public Accounts Committee we dealt with the £303 million muck-up of the Universal Credit computer system.

There are going to be a lot of changes for hundreds of families across Blaenau Gwent, and there are inevitably going to be a lot of complications.

The DWP must ensure that this changeover is as smooth and painless as possible – I don’t want families suffering because of bureaucratic bungles.