Here's the latest Argus column by Torfaen's Member of the Senedd (MS) Lynne Neagle:

UNCLE Vincent, a hospital security and porter supervisor, who has beaten Covid-19 and is now back at work. Cousin Genna, a hospital nurse working on the frontline. An aunty who works on the ambulances and is also looking after her two young nephews because they cannot stay with their grandparents during this pandemic.

Just some of the nominations for superhero that have been shared with me in the literary lockdown challenge I am running for school aged children in Torfaen: My Covid-19 Superhero Is …?

It has been so heart-warming and uplifting to see the stories and pictures come in. It has been wonderful to see how creative the children have been in expressing their feelings - some have even turned to poetry! We clearly have so much talent in Torfaen.

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Superhero nominations have included teachers, the Welsh Government for its food boxes, local councillors, the police, scientists working on a vaccine, care workers, support workers, shop workers, the prime minister and PE guru Joe Wicks – who retweeted his nomination from Isabella to his more than 400,000 followers!

Year 6 Garnteg Primary pupil Caleb wrote a story about an imagined superhero – a young Californian schoolboy who created a vaccine for coronavirus out of a mixture of Calpol, antibiotics and some vitamins. ‘He saved millions of lives’.

Just as Banksy identified a frontline hospital health worker in his latest mural so, too, have many of the entries I have received, including Oscar, a Year 2 pupil at Penygarn Primary School, the youngest entrant so far, who sent me a wonderful picture of a frontline health worker.

Many pupils have praised NHS staff for risking their own lives to save other peoples. Lois from Year 5 in Garnteg Primary said it was important to show gratitude for that which was why every Thursday evening she and her family go outside and clap "to let them know we care".

Nine-year-old Zac from Coed Eva Primary summed it up well in his song lyrics when he said: "NHS staff; Are Working so fast; They are real like Superheroes; The number of patients needs to be ZERO!"

Many, too, have praised their families for looking after them while working in key roles. Nine-year-old Iwan from Our Lady of the Angel school who named his delivery driver grandad and carer granny together with his parents who both work for the Welsh Ambulance Service as superheroes, said his opinion of a superhero had changed.

He said: "I thought a superhero was just a movie character but now I think a superhero can be anyone who looks after someone."

I think many of us have re-evaluated our views on frontline roles over this difficult time. I would like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone working hard to keep people in Torfaen safe.

I hope the challenge for pupils to write (or draw) their Covid-19 Superhero has provided some everyday normality in the lives of children in Torfaen during these difficult days of home schooling and stressed parents!I hope, too, it has brought a smile to people’s faces. If you want to see some of the entries, I am sharing them on my Facebook and Twitter. Please share and retweet widely.

  • My office is working remotely. If you need to contact me, please email me at lynne.neagle@senedd.wales or ring the constituency office on 01495 740022. We are checking the answer phone regularly.