August 4th marked the 100th anniversary of the day Britain entered the First World War. Across the country people came together to remember the fallen men and women who fought from 4th August 1914 – 11th November 1918 in one of the most costly conflicts in history. Over 800,000 lives were lost, many coming from Dagenham and Rainham.

Today (Friday18th July) Jon Cruddas MP held his third annual volunteer thank you breakfast. This year 80 of Jon’s key volunteers in the area were treated to a full English at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club.

From the start back in 2012 the volunteer network has grown to include over 1,900 local residents. The goal was to increase community engagement in Dagenham, Rainham, South Hornchurch and Elm Park where people were beginning to fall through the cracks that government cuts created locally.

Tesco’s held their fourth National Food Collection earlier this month, in conjunction with the Trussell Trust who provide three days emergency to individuals and families who are in crisis, and FareShare who fight hunger and distribute food to local charities. The collection was in all Tesco’s stores across the country and aimed to get enough food to provide 5 million meals for families across the country. Jon Cruddas, local MP for Dagenham and Rainham has supported the project in the past and always encourages local residents to come out in support of the National Food Collection.