Readers of the Ross Gazette will need no reminding of my passion about the importance of cleaning up the river Wye. The past two weeks have been important to this project on two fronts.

One of my earliest actions as a new Member of Parliament was to convene a major public meeting at the Three Counties Hotel in July 2010 on the vital local topic of fast broadband.

I left HM Treasury last month, after two years as Financial Secretary. My chat with the Prime Minister was a surprise, not least since it came less than 48 hours after I had completed the landmark Health & Social Care Levy Bill in the House of Commons.

Jesse Norman, together with other local MPs, has written a joint letter to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury calling for a three-year integrated spending package in the forthcoming Spending Review specifically focused on cleaning up the River Wye.

In this week of commemoration for the victims of 9/11, in the wake of the West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and in the aftermath of a pandemic, it is a delight to write about something that is full not of sorrow but of joy.

After a bumper Bank Holiday weekend of events in Ross-on-Wye, and with the Walking Festival soon to come, the value of Ross as a lively and fun tourist destination is clearer than ever. 

Barely two weeks on from the early news of the final US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the scenes of suffering and bloodshed, and the fears of local people for the future, have been absolutely heartbreaking.

We are now in the last month before NMITE opens its doors for the first time on September 6th. It is incredibly exciting to think that an institution is about to be born that--with our continued collective love and support--could lift the economy and well-being of Herefordshire and the Marches forever.

Over the past twenty years, The Courtyard has made itself into an amazing centre for the arts and culture in Herefordshire, whether film or theatre or dance or music or the panto, featuring local work and visiting shows alike.