I AM using this week’s column to let you know about my new health and well-being campaign called “Fighting Fit”.

The aim of this campaign is to encourage and empower individuals to adopt a healthier lifestyle that will improve physical, mental and emotional well-being.

As you know this year we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service, one of the fundamental backbones of modern day health care across the UK.

As the Welsh Assembly Member for Blaenau Gwent it has always been important to me that I show my support for our NHS.

Studies have shown that health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity, linked to poor diet and little physical activity, are significantly rising across both Wales and the UK.

Blaenau Gwent has one of the worst overall public health profiles in Wales compared to the national average – we need to change this.

I have pledged to change my lifestyle over the next six months to show how changes to our daily lives can ultimately improve our own overall health for the future.

These changes will include learning how to cook healthier meals, increasing my weekly exercise and learning how to adopt and sustain these changes into my busy work and home life.

The campaign will be six months long, I’ve roped in my team from the office to join me on this journey and local sports nutritionist Darren Foote is on hand to offer us much needed advice and support.

I will be visiting various community based health and fitness programmes who are already successfully working hard to improve people’s health and well-being across Blaenau Gwent.

If you are part of a Blaenau Gwent team, club or organisation that is working towards improving the health and well-being of members, please get in touch, it would be great to hear about what you’re doing.

I intend to share much of my journey along the way with you, so I hope you can join me #FightingFit on my Facebook page facebook.com/AMAlunDavies

On another note, I was pleased to see that Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Executive committee has voted against changing the Home to School and Post-16 transport policies.

I have campaigned against these proposed changes, writing to the authority and joining and speaking with parents ahead of their protest march to the Civic Centre in July.

It is important that here in Blaenau Gwent, we do all we can to support the education and skills agenda for our children, these proposals, if agreed, would have put unnecessary barriers in place.