Dear resident,
As we approach the end of the year, I would like to wish you a joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year. ✨ I hope that you can spend some time with family and loved ones. With Parliament now in recess, I too look forward to spending time with my family over the festive period.
✉️I would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all local pupils who have submitted a festive design to my Christmas card competition, and all the teachers who took the time to take part with their class.👏🏽
🎄The winner is Thomas (Year 4) from Blackboys Church of England Primary School, whose colourful picture of Christmas elves is featured on the front of my card. The card has been sent to hundreds of local residents, businesses, charities and schools, as well as to recipients nationwide, and His Majesty King Charles III.
I have also personally delivered my Christmas card to Mr Speaker to champion Sussex Weald and Thomas' wonderful designs!👇🏽
2025 has not been an easy year, especially with the two big campaigns in Crowborough that took us by surprise in October – the closure of the Crowborough Birthing Centre, and the Home Office proposals to use the Crowborough Training Camp as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
However, we've had a small win earlier this week. Through our consistent and persistent campaigning against the Home Office, we have finally secured a confirmation of a delay to moving asylum seekers to Crowborough. The Home Office confirmed that no decisions will take place until the new year. Read more 👉🏽 here. All updates on my work on this are available on my website 👉🏽 HERE.
I continue working with the Friends of Crowborough Hospital and fight for the Crowborough Birthing Centre to reopen, with further meetings having taken place throughout December. I understand that further decisions will be taken in January, so the start of 2026 will require a lot of intensive campaigning, data collection and meetings with the NHS Trust and Integrated Care Board, which I am convening on behalf of the local community.
Nevertheless, despite the major challenges that the end of last year has presented, we must not forget about the good news and successes that 2025 brought for our communities in Sussex Weald. Please allow me to reflect on just some of them below:
✅ Hosting the annual Farmers’ Forum in Five Ashes in May, which brought together over 30 farmers, local authorities and stakeholders.
✅ Opening a new Youth Hub in Heathfield, thanks to nearly £5m Government support.
✅ Securing improvements to mobile coverage at Wadhurst train station, following my campaign with O2 and Vodafone.
✅ Delivering disabled parking spaces for St Mark’s school in Hadlow Down.
✅ Helping with fundraising for the completion of a new Pump Track in Horam to complement the Get Active Pathway and to boost accessible exercising opportunities.
✅ Opening a new Gateway on the Ashdown Forest to boost accessibility.
✅ Supporting the delivery of a new multi-purpose Community Hub that is underway at the railway station in Crowborough.
✅ Reopening of two Post Office branches on our High Streets this year, in Mayfield and in Frant.
✅ Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Waldron’s business English Soap Company.
✅ Championing our businesses at the annual Crowborough Business Expo.
✅ Ongoing work with charities including Crowborough’s Family2Family, Heathfield’s Wealden Works, Rotherfield St Martin, Hailsham’s Medi Tech Trust and many others.
✅ Convening forums with NHS leaders and advocating for expansion of our primary care services.
✅ Working with Sussex Police on tackling and preventing cross-border rural crime and anti-social behaviour; and advocating for more resources to help victims of domestic violence. One in eight women experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking last year. This is devastating. I welcomed the Government's new strategy to help end violence against women and girls, and I continue to work with Sussex Police and local agencies on securing more resources to protect and support victims, and help them recover and rebuild their lives.
🍦My summer surgery tour stop in Rushlake Green
🇬🇧Celebrating VE Day 80 with Hailsham Cadets
📮Opening of Frant Post Office
📲Securing better mobile coverageat Wadhurst train station
🚜Catching up with local farmers & producers at the Heathfield Show
📚Visiting our schools for Q&As about all things Westminster
👇🏽 Have your say on local campaigns 👇🏽
❌ No to asylum seeker housing at Crowborough Training Camp ❌
8,700 signatures and counting! The site has already been rejected as being wholly inappropriate. I continue to do everything I can to challenge the Home Office.
Sign my petition 👉🏽 HERE 👈🏽
👶🏻 The fight to save the Crowborugh Birthing Centre continues! 👶🏻
We have 3,800 signatures, but we need more data to put even more pressure on the NHS Trust. Mums deserve a choice!
Sign my petition 👉🏽 HERE 👈🏽
💷 Access to banking services 💷
My survey is still open! Are local banking services working for you? Let me know via a short survey on my website, so I can be better informed when campaigning for additional facilities such as those secured for 📍Hailsham.
Share your views 👉🏽 HERE 👈🏽
☎️ Contact ☎️
It has been a busy year with lots of wonderful news and wins locally, but there is more to be done.
Please be assured that I will continue to work hard in 2026 to campaign for more resources for Sussex Weald and to ensure that your concerns are heard in Westminster.
🎄 My office will be operating on limited hours over the festive period and my team and I will be working solely on the most urgent cases.
📞 In the new year, casework will resume to be undertaken daily and surgery appointments will continue taking place in person, over the phone, or virtually. If you need my assistance regarding a particular issue, please email me at [email protected] and provide as much information as possible about your query.
🎄Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a successful start to 2026.✨
Yours sincerely,
Nusrat
Please note that this is a regular update on my activities in Sussex Weald and in Parliament, and any correspondence received in direct reply to this email will not be responded to.
👇🏽 List of useful emergency numbers👇🏽
