Last week, I hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning at Flying Fields in Southam, along with Southam Town Council and Galanos House Community Hub.

The event brought together people from across the area, along with volunteers and residents from Galanos House, whose choir gave a wonderful performance.

Gatherings such as these are the highlight of Macmillan's fundraising calendar, and this year marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of Coffee Mornings across the UK.

Macmillan Cancer Support has been carrying out incredible work for more than a century, supporting individuals and families following a cancer diagnosis and doing whatever it takes to ensure everyone living with cancer receives the right support for their needs.

I am proud to support the charity's work both locally and nationally.

It is vital that we continue to recognise the profound impact cancer has on families. The number of people living with cancer in the UK has now reached a record high of almost three and a half million and is continuing to rise.

Macmillan works in partnership with people living with cancer, Government, parliamentarians, healthcare professionals and local communities to address the root causes of the most challenging cancer experiences and outcomes, and to improve care for everyone, everywhere.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan provides a real opportunity to transform cancer care. It must ensure that care is shifted closer to communities, that patient experience is treated as a headline ambition, and that clear and measurable steps are taken to narrow the gap in care and outcomes for underserved groups.

Making cancer care fairer and reducing inequalities must be a priority for Ministers.

I would like to thank Mayor Councillor Lee Ellard and former Mayor Councillor Angela John, along with the staff and residents of Galanos House, for being there and for their help in organising the coffee morning and for bringing the local community together in support of this important cause.