In the UK, only 1/5th of businesses are women-led. Despite many barriers they face, women entrepreneurs & business owners are phenomenal 🙌🏽 That’s why speaking at the launch of the Newham Chamber of Commerce ‘Women in Business’ network in Stratford this week was incredible! A powerhouse 🦁

Wonderful morning with Cllrs Rohit Dasgupta, Harvinder Singh & Amar Virdee at the Ramgarhia Gurdwara on Neville Road. We joined members of our Sikh community in Newham celebrating #Vaisakhi and took part in thanks and prayers. Happy #Vaisakhi2025 to all celebrating today!

📣🧵Happenings in Newham & what’s coming up!👇🏽 ➡️ Happy Birthday 🥳 Newham @ 60 at Maryland Primary🎈 ➡️ Showcasing 2 awesome supported living housing for our elderly 🫶🏽 ➡️ Our Populo Living wins 🥇a prestigious🍍award for Carpenters Estate 🎉 ℹ️ tinyurl.com/2dd55f69

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈It’s been a truly borough-wide celebration of @NewhamLondon LGBT+ History Month with solidarity & Allyship ✨ A wonderful evening of youth power & creative performance at the CAYA ‘Come As You Are’ talent night at our Stratford Youth Zone. www.newhamlgbthistory.org/events/

📣Happenings in Newham & what’s coming up!👇🏽 ➡️ Final Council budget 2025/26 💷 ➡️ 1400+ young people attend our Apprenticeship Fair 🙌🏽 ➡️ 20MPH borough-wide & bike market coming up 🚲 🚘 ➡️ Free half term fun including ballet 🩰 ➡️ #IWD2025 Women in Tech Event 💻 Read more ℹ️ here👇🏾 tinyurl.com/5n8cn2jm

Good to be in Peterborough with @andrewpakes.bsky.social , talking about Labour’s plan to make work pay. Fantastic to be joined by @rokhsanafiaz.bsky.social, @jamesasser.bsky.social, local councillors, @unisoneastern.bsky.social, and volunteers from across our movement.

Brilliant @lgalabour.bsky.social conference with fellow Labour leaders about how we making a difference locally & with our Labour government to rebuild our country after 14-years of Tory misrule. Incl. Deputy PM Angela Rayner on building more homes people can afford. #lablocal25

📣 Happenings in Newham London & what’s coming up! ➡️ Council budget, Council Tax & our asks to Govt as we work together in face of housing crisis🚪 ➡️ Children’s Mental Health week 😊 ➡️ East Bank milestone! Sadlers Wells East opens in Newham’s Queen’s Elizabeth Park 🌟 ➡️ More ℹ️ tinyurl.com/33ace86s

🧵📣 On this bright Feb Sunday READ happenings in Newham coming up: ➡️ Commission for Belonging & Inclusion: call-out for expert & resident input 🗣️ ➡️ Newham Civic Awards 🌟🏆 ➡️ Apprenticeship Fair on 12/2/25 👷🏽‍♀️📋💼 ➡️ Free Tennis 🎾 lessons ➡️ More ℹ️👇🏽 tinyurl.com/2trhxd8x

Wonderful to be with members of our @NewhamLondon LGBTQ+ communities to unveil the Progress Pride Flag at East Ham Town Hall today 🏳️‍🌈Kickstarting #LGBTplusHM25 🏳️‍⚧️ 16 events reflecting activism & social change across the borough & 🆓 ℹ️ newhamlgbthistory.org/events/ @rkdasgupta.bsky.social

We raised the flag today to inaugurate Newham LGBT History Month. Newham celebrates its diversity & remain committed to standing against all hate & discrimination. In challenging times, we must ensure that our communities are not scapegoated @rokhsanafiaz.bsky.social @positiveeast.bsky.social

📣Today we’ll be launching our LGBT+History Month programme at East Ham Town Hall at 12-1.30pm witb raising our Progress Pride flag today! Celebrating activism, stories & creativity across this month as we celebrate inclusion 🌈 Full programme here: www.newhamlgbthistory.org

✨Wonderful celebrations with the London Tamil Sangam this afternoon to mark Pongal 2025. Established in 1936 and based in Newham’s High Street North over in East Ham, the community provided a loving welcome to me & Cllr rkdasgupta.bsky.social as they marked nature's blessings 🌾

Great to spend uklabour.bsky.social National Campaign Day in Forest Gate North ward with Newham Labour 🌹 colleagues including Cllrs racheltripp.bsky.social & rkdasgupta.bsky.social & John Gray 🌹 Residents welcomed government plans to give more money to councils to invest in road repairs 🚲🚶🏾‍♀️

This Christmas week: I’ve volunteered daily at the day-centre set up by Crisis UK in Stratford to support those who may be lonely, need care & stability of a home / bed. Volunteers from all walks of life caring for guests seeking comfort, food & conversations with a community of friends. 🫶🏽

📣 READ: happenings this week & next: ➡️ With Deputy PM @AngelaRayner as govt gives us £24.4m for homelessness & highest allocation in country👌🏽 ➡️ Volunteering this Christmas at Bonny Downs Night Shelter with Cllr Amar Virdee & at our @crisis_uk Day Centre in Stratford 🫶🏽 More ℹ️👇🏽 tinyurl.com/5ayat53u

📣READ: happenings in @NewhamLondon this week & next: ➡️ Small Business Saturday today! Supporting our thriving local high streets 🛍️🛒💈 ➡️ £20m to improve fire safety in Council homes 💷 ➡️ 550 new council homes to be delivered by @populo-living.bsky.social 🏢 ➡️ More ℹ️ tinyurl.com/2943ynzf

Celebrating #smallbizsaturday in Newham today! With Deputy Cabinet member Cllr Caroline Adaja & Cllr Sabia Kamali + Newham Chamber of Commerce to visit business owners in East Ham, Canning Town & Stratford. People who are the backbone of our high streets, driving growth & create jobs 🙌🏽

12 Days of #Populo: Day 2! Looking back at February, when our £1Bn #CarpentersEstate Masterplan was approved! Tasked by Mayor @rokhsanafiaz.bsky.social and co-designed with residents, it will deliver 2,000+ new homes (50% affordable), green spaces and more. Watch this space for updates 👀

Good to join East London Citizens/TELCO with @pennybernstock.bsky.social to mark planning powers moving from London Legacy Development Corp to host boroughs. Positive meeting with @rokhsanafiaz.bsky.social re a Housing & Employment Inclusion Zone on the #OlympicPark ie genuinely #affordablehomes! 🏡

📣READ🧵: happenings in @NewhamLondon this week & next: ➡️ World AIDS Day ♥️ ➡️ From Hate to Harmony new 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️symbols in Forest Gate E7 ➡️ 25 new trees 🌳, cycle routes & upgraded footpaths in Westfield Ave E20 ➡️ Watch #RespectHerJourney 🚺 ➡️ More ℹ️ tinyurl.com/bdd4c7b3 ➡️ Sign up👇🏽 tinyurl.com/mwrf9dp9

Wonderful & joyous celebration as new Pride lamp post wraps installed in Forest Gate in collaboration with our LGBTQI+ communities 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈We stand in solidarity 🏳️‍⚧️Love will prevail. We Are Newham ✊🏾🫶🏽🌟 @rkdasgupta.bsky.social @umakumaran.bsky.social @melanie-onovo.bsky.social ❤️

It’s a bonanza today in Newham with the experimental West Ham Park LTN going live! General traffic will no longer be able to use these residential streets as a shortcut—and Romford Road, to the north, is being improved too. We love to see it 🌳 🚸🌲 🚲 @rokhsanafiaz.bsky.social

Brilliant to join @metecoban92.bsky.social @rokhsanafiaz.bsky.social & the Newham team to open the fabulous new cycle lanes along Westfield Ave in the Olympic Park 🚲🚲 This transformation is making the area safer and improving biodiversity & flood resilience with new planting & drainage. 💚

We’ve such amazing young people in our borough & involve them at all levels in our decision making 🌟 This afternoon I joined some of them at our flagship Stratford Youth Zone as they kickstarted shortlisting for our Newham Civic Awards 2024 🌟 www.newham.gov.uk/get-involved...

📣 READ🧵: happenings in Newham this week & next: ➡️ Warm Havens & Severe Weather Alert ❄️💨 ➡️ Ending violence against women & 16 Days of Action events coming up 🚺 ➡️ Newham Climate Action Week ♻️ ➡️ Fuel Poverty Awareness Day More ℹ️👇🏽 tinyurl.com/yc6wtuv4