It’s been a varied week.

I had the pleasure of giving some of the Worcester Wheels volunteers a much-deserved Mayoral ‘thank you for everything you do’ tour of the Guildhall. Worcester Wheels helps older and less able-bodied people get around the city to attend hospital appointments and social events where the cost of a taxi would be prohibitive. Their work is absolutely invaluable for many city residents.

On Saturday I attended the 100-year celebration event for Worcester Rotary Club. Earlier in my Mayoral year I was invited by the Rotary Club to help judge one of their school public speaking events. This is a fantastic initiative that boosts the confidence of primary school children to speak up and to speak loudly – a great life skill.

I also had the pleasure of visiting GL (Green Lighting), based at the Great Western Business Park ear Shrub Hill. This is a business that has grown enormously over the last 20 years, receiving several industry awards along the way. Their core business was low energy lighting but they are now expanding into eco home technology, including EV charging, solar panel invertors and battery storage technology. As an engineer I loved it. It’s very much a Worcester business, with local business owner and MD Anthony Ottway employing over 25 people. It’s great to see a local business do so well, especially one that is working to help the UK reach its net zero carbon targets.