Another great week, although the Mayoress and I did get rather wet on a few occasions! One of those was the Brentknoll Vets Family Fun Day & Dog Show, which was held at the Countryside Centre by Worcester Woods. The turnout was superb with over 400 entrants and it was such a shame when the skies opened and the rain fell down – well in reality it lashed down, driven by a strong wind which was almost horizontal at times! Despite this the show went on. I struggled to cut the ribbon to open the event but managed it eventually, getting soaked in the process!

The Little Shop of Horrors at the John Moore Theatre, Kings School, had no weather worries as the show was snuggly indoors. A cast of 22 young actors aged from eight years of age to late teens, supported by an experienced production team of three, put on a brilliant presentation. Company Manager Alan Feeney should be rightly proud of this production, the audience loved it. Well done Alan.

Of course the event of the week was the opening of the European Wheelchair Basketball Championships, which are being held right here in Worcester at the Arena on the West Bank, Hylton Road. I saw my first live match when GB played Germany earlier in the summer, and what an experience that was. The game was fast and furious and thoroughly entertaining; it was also great to meet the Team after the game. I was won over and became a fan immediately!

In fact it’s great to welcome the European Wheelchair Basket Ball Championships to Worcester. The foresight of David Green and his University Team have made this possible by building the Arena, a sporting facility that is now the National Venue for Wheelchair Basketball and other sports. So a big thank you for putting Worcester squarely on the sporting map.

Having these Championships here in Worcester is a great boost for our city, 73 action-packed matches split over 33 sessions allowing great opportunities to watch top class sport, right here on our doorstep. I’m sure the entire City would like to give support to the Great Britain teams as they embark on their road to Rio.