I hope all those returning to or starting at school and college over the last week or so have had a successful start to the academic year. My thanks to all the educators, from primary to further education for all the work you will do over the year ahead. It is invaluable.

Turning to recent events, last weekend I had the privilege of attending the Foundation Stone laying Ceremony at the Mandir (Hindu temple) in Leamington. It was an important moment for our local Hindu community, and I was honoured to join them to mark this milestone as they build their new Mandir.

In Hinduism, it is spiritually very important when a Mandir is oriented to the East. Once built, the new Mandir will be one of only 5 in the UK which is oriented to this direction. It is very special that this will be in our town and I am very proud to support them seeing it come to fruition.

Further north, I attended the always enjoyable Old Milverton Horticultural Show. It is great to see so many come out to support it each year. My thanks to the organisers who deserve huge credit for all their continuous efforts.

Finally, it was great to take part in a panel at EcoFest in the Pump Room Gardens on Saturday afternoon. We had an important conversation on working collaboratively in Warwickshire to combat climate change. After a summer of wildfires and drought across much of the country, it was a very timely discussion. Thank you to the organisers for putting on this necessary and worthwhile event.

Looking to other news, many of you will have seen the announcement regarding Jaguar Land Rover this week and the planned job cuts. It is incredibly concerning for the many staff and their families locally. I have written to the Government to make the case for why our automotive industry is so crucial, particularly locally, and why we must support JLR and its employees through this difficult time.

As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise with me. I can be reached at [email protected] or on 01926 882006.