On 9^th November 2012, Barry met with firefighters from Wembley station to thank them for their ongoing work protecting and saving lives of Brent residents and also to understand their concerns about proposed cuts to the London Fire Brigade budget.

Barry raised a number of these concerns in Parliament on 2nd November 2012 when he called upon the Government to ensure that these cuts do not have an unfair impact on ethnic minority communities and that these cuts could mean that firefighters will take longer to respond to call-outs and will not be able to attend all call-outs with the same number of crews and fire engines as they are currently required to do.

You can read Barry's full speech and the full debate in Parliament here.

On 8^th August 2012 Barry joined friends and family of Ms Doris Coe, a resident of Tulsi House in Wembley, to celebrate her 100^th birthday and to reflect on her remarkable life story.

On 13^th July 2012 Barry had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremony for the Community Centre for the Ismaili Muslim Community as guest of honour and keynote speaker.

The event marked the opening of a community centre for the residents of Jubilee Court, a purpose-built, independent living care facility for elderly and disabled members of the Ismaili Muslim community in Brent. Barry joined Mr Amin Mawji OBE, President of the Ismaili Council in the UK in unveiling a plaque dedicated to the new centre.

You can find out more about Jubilee Court here.

On 12^th July 2012 Barry visited Kingsbury High School in Brent to meet with students and teachers as part of the school's Olympics welcoming celebrations. Barry shared the schoolchildren's excitement about the coming of the Games and congratulated Jai Padhiar on being selected as an Olympic torchbearer and the school for being invited to take part in the Guard of Honour being formed to welcome the Olympic athletes to the Olympic village.

On 8^th July 2012 Barry had the pleasure of attending and taking part in the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Shree Kutch Leva Patel Community (SKLP UK) Annual Mela festival in Northolt. The celebrations included a showcase of dance and stage performances, fantastic food, attractions and speeches from members from Brent and Harrow.

The SKLP UK is a community based organisation which aims to develop local and international bonds between its members and affiliates and have hosted their Annual Mela annually promoting the sporting and cultural heritage of their members.

You can find out more about SKLP UK here.

On 1^st June 2012 Barry had the pleasure of joining Mo Butt, new Labour Leader of Brent Council, Councillor Bhagwanji Chonan and Narendra Thakrar to take part in the ceremony of the installation of the Jyotirling (shrine) of Lord Shiva at the foundation of the Mandir on Ealing Road.