Occasionally a week will start off with a bang – and last week certainly did, as my wife and I celebrated our birthdays in London. We saw a show, Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre, which was brilliant and we would thoroughly recommend it. Then we did a circuit on The Eye and had some splendid views of London. As if that wasn’t enough, thanks to the generosity of Lord Faulkner of Worcester and Robin Walker, our MP, we were treated to lunch in the House of Lords and dinner in the House of Commons. A remarkable and unforgettable weekend! We would like to take this opportunity to thank both Richard and Robin for a very privileged and enjoyable experience.

The Arena was the venue for this year’s City of Worcester Sport Awards. The event was co-hosted by Andy Price, the Chair of Sport Worcester, Steve Cram CBE and Allison Curbishley, and they made the evening something special. Our Sport, Art and Play Team, led by Hannah Cox, organised a really memorable event; the Arena was full of smiling faces!

One of the good things about our Sports Awards is that it is not just the athletes who are recognised. The categories also recognise coaches, schools and volunteers to Physical Activity, allowing for a much more rounded and inclusive approach.

Another great event held in the Arena was the concert of the Band of the Grenadier Guards; the Arena is such a fantastic venue for all manner of sport and entertainment, and our thanks must go to the University Team for having the vision and foresight to create it.

The event was a joint production by Worcester Live and of course The Grenadiers, who are superb and performed brilliantly to a packed audience. The range of music was wide and all of it was thoroughly entertaining. That is until the very last piece, when the Major conducting said that the last number would be different as he had received a letter from a Worcester resident. He read out the letter which said the writer had been rehearsing for ages in front of a mirror, much to the irritation of everyone around him, in the hope of achieving his life time ambition to conduct the Band of the Grenadier Guards. He then said the letter was signed by the Mayor!! Much to my absolute embarrassment I had to take centre stage and conduct the band. I suppose there are few Mayors that can say they have done that!! I did get some sympathy applause.