OUR local towns face a sore deal and the last few years have been especially tough for us.

As I continuously raise in Parliament, it is not that we are without talent or aspiration, but we are sorely lacking in opportunity.

The system is not working for us as towns disconnected from the rail network and without the investment to revitalise our economy.

But through the shadow of austerity our community has shone with some incredible organisations worthy of our respect and praise.

Many of these groups I have had the great pleasure to meet recently.

Each are inspirational in their burning desire to contribute to our community and leave our towns in a better place for the next generation.

As your MP I share their incredible optimism and pride in our towns just as I express my burning desire to get a better settlement for our towns to make them an even greater place to live, work and raise a family.

Every time I visit a different one of these groups I am reminded of some of the incredible opportunities they are provided locally.

Leigh Spinners will always be the pride of our towns, using the cathedral to our proud industrial past as the home to the small businesses and local organisations of the future.

Every time I visit I’m reminded of how our community was built and who it needs to be working for.

That’s why all the volunteers deserve enormous praise and gratitude for the incredible work over at Spinners helping to rebuild our towns from the ground up.

The Reclaim Project is another jewel in our community crown.

Giving voice and opportunity to working-class boys and girls is precisely what our town needs.

These groups have had to step forward because our local council has seen annual budget cuts of £140m. Cuts of this scale are unsustainable and a method the Conservatives have used to force others to implement their austerity agenda.

Thankfully our council has risen to the incredible challenge by investing in certain areas such as health whilst being forced to cut back in others.

This forward planning tries to ensure our life outcomes are not as severely impacted by Tory austerity as we have seen in other areas.

The results speak for themselves with healthy life expectancy improving by 31 months for women and 19 for men.

So whilst there is much locally and nationally that too often gets us down and whilst there are significant challenges to overcome, we must never take for granted or forget to express our gratitude for the local individuals, groups and individuals who work tirelessly to keep our community thriving.

Just a few weeks ago I went to the Great Get Together in memory of Jo Cox, organised by Mark Collier, held in Golborne.

It was a timely reminder that as a community we do have far more in common that that which divides us.

We are all striving for greater towns, better transport and economic revitalisation – only by working together will we produce the unstoppable local force that makes our community such an incredible place to live.