Political Opinion with Alison Bennett MP: A Very Mid Sussex Christmas

Merry Christmas! As the festive season approaches, I hope you and your loved ones enjoy a peaceful and restful break together.

The past few weeks have been very fun, as I have had the opportunity to attend events and celebrations across Mid Sussex. From the uplifting Christmas Concert by the Burgess Hill Choral Society to visiting our hardworking posties at the Burgess Hill and Hassocks Sorting Office, I have been reminded time and again of the strong community spirit that makes our area such a wonderful place to live.

I have also enjoyed lending a hand at FareShare’s winter food collection drive at Tesco and joining students and staff at Woodlands Meed for their Christmas lunch. It has been a busy but very enjoyable lead-up to Christmas.

In my constituency office, Christmas began early this year with the launch of my annual Christmas card competition back in late September. I was impressed by the huge number of entries from children and young people across Mid Sussex, and by the creativity on display. Choosing a winner and runners-up was no easy task.

All the highly commended designs were beautifully displayed in Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath libraries, and I would like to thank the libraries for helping to showcase them. Thank you as well to every child who submitted a design — I hope you enjoyed seeing your artwork on display.

I also had the chance to show off Mid Sussex talent in Parliament recently, at a Christmas card competition reception with the Speaker of the House of Commons. Mr Speaker was clearly impressed by the fantastic designs created by Isabelle, Olive, Jessica and Jack!

By now, my Christmas cards should be arriving on doorsteps across the constituency. Preparing and delivering over 40,000 cards has been no small task, and I am extremely grateful to the wonderful volunteers who have been so generous with their time helping stuff envelopes and deliver cards.

I am wishing everyone across Mid Sussex a very happy Christmas. I look forward to continuing to work with you and for you in 2026.