For Black History Month in October, members of my Aberavon team attended the NPT BME Community Association Black History 365 event on my behalf whilst I was in Parliament.

The event was a very successful and informative event, featuring a really inspiring speech from Mavis Thompson, who was born and raised in Sandfields, and who broke through the glass ceiling to become a police Sergeant; her son followed suit and is also now a Sergeant.

We also learned about other local people with black heritage, including Jalisa Phoenix-Roberts, who runs a successful performing arts and dance school here in Port Talbot with her wife.

Gerald Walker’s parents came to Port Talbot during the Wind rush era, Gerald played semi-pro football, athletics for Port Talbot Harriers and played basketball for Port Talbot; he is now an experienced social worker working for Foster Wales.

Coral Rose Ashby was born in Port Talbot and has lived here nearly all of her life, working for the civil service. In the past, Coral has been a Youth Worker for the YMCA and worked as a fitness and well-being coach part time for 25 years, as well as having been a voluntary foster carer.

Jasmine Wallace-Thompson moved to Port Talbot from Birmingham as a child and her family has lived in Wales since the 1950s. Her grandmother worked long shifts in a factory to provide a good life for her family and her mother went on to achieve two degrees, with a very successful career in education.

The event concluded with a showing on the film ‘Just ah likkle piece of Jamaica inna Port Talbot’.