It's a pleasure to take part in this debate this afternoon. I thank the Government for tabling this debate today as we embark on the annual period of remembrance to consider those in the armed forces who have sacrificed so much for so many of the freedoms that we hold dear today.

I'd like to use my short contribution to tell the Senedd about the brilliant work that my local British legion do in my constituency to mark this period of remembrance, and particularly in the town of Rhyl, which bestows a proud military history containing many servicemen and servicewomen who have devoted their lives to protecting our country's interest and defending our way of life.

The list of servicemen and servicewomen is far too long to read out today in the allocated time I'm given, Llywydd, but the local British legion are very active in my area in holding poppy stalls in the White Rose centre, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Asda and Aldi, offering not only poppies and badges, but also additional items including rubbers, pencil sharpeners, rulers and other stationery items, hand-knitted toppers, dog collars and many more to add to that. While you may see it as a bit silly that I might say that, what it does give is people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to engage with the annual fundraiser. It raises awareness amongst all people of the tremendous service that people from the local area have given over the years.

Over the half-term recess, I had the pleasure of volunteering in three sessions in Rhyl, in the White Rose centre, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, and what struck me is not only the tremendous generosity of local people, but also the sheer amount of people who have links to the armed forces, whether that be themselves, a grandfather, dad, uncle, friend or other relative who has served their countries, either in world war one, world war two, the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other battle our country has engaged in for that matter. So, it shows the amount of people who hold this time of year close to their hearts and how deep the armed forces are embedded in all of our communities across Wales and the UK.

I'd like to just quickly reiterate the point I made in the business statement earlier this afternoon, and as mentioned in the debate, about some of the healthcare provisions that are on offer to veterans. I'd like to see the process speeded up for veterans to be considered in the triage system. I know progress has been made, but I would like to see quicker progress on that, so that veterans are indeed getting the right support for their mental and physical health.

In addition to the fantastic poppy stalls in my constituency, there'll be a series of services over the next few days at Rhyl memorial gardens on the promenade to mark Armistice Day on Friday and Remembrance Sunday, as there will be at every memorial site in the Vale of Clwyd and across the country. I'd urge everyone to head down to their local memorial site this weekend and pay their respects to the many men, women and animals who have given their lives so that we can continue to live in freedom and democracy. Thank you.