Last weekend I had the honour of joining residents in Tadpole Garden Village to celebrate the opening of the Tadpole Garden Village in Bloom ‘Thankful Village’ memorial. A culmination of two years planning, navigating challenging building issues, and securing donations and hard work, Saturday’s event was an opportunity to recognise and thank everyone who had been involved. I joined representatives from the armed forces and veterans in laying a wreath at the memorial in honour of those who have served in the armed forces, followed by an address from Flight Sergeant Pete Welsh, who was a leading figure in the project.
The highlight of the day was a spectacular Spitfire fly-past, courtesy of an RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – very apt because of Swindon’s proud history with the Spitfire planes. I know TGV in Bloom has worked extremely hard on the memorial project, and I am delighted that it has come to fruition, and I want to thank them for a wonderful event, the Spitfire fly-past was incredibly impressive!
On Sunday, I visited the Dorcan Recreation Complex to join Better Leisure’s Inspire Day, aiming to inspire people starting their journey to a healthier lifestyle and find new sports and activities to try – with a wide variety of activities to choose from, including swimming, badminton, netball, hockey, football, table tennis, gym workshops, exercise classes, and wheelchair rugby. Better Leisure were joined by a number of GLL Sport Foundation athletes, as well as several local netball players who had represented England and Wales. Highlighting the positive impact of sport is something I am very passionate about, and I am a great supporter of any and all initiatives which do this. It was great to visit the Dorcan Rec and see the recent improvements to the changing rooms and other front-of-house areas and speak to local families using the facilities and taking part in all the activities.
Yesterday was A Level Results Day, with hundreds of thousands of students receiving their A Level, T Level and other vocational results at a time when there has never been a better range of opportunities for young people. The students receiving their results today are the first group in three years to sit exams and faced significant disruption to their studies during the pandemic, which is why I am glad the Government introduced unprecedented support for students – including advance information on exam content for the vast majority of A levels, longer assessment windows for vocational and technical qualifications, and are ensuring that grades reflect a midway point between 2019 and 2021.
I want to congratulate all the students sitting exams this year – including pioneering T Level students as the first ever group to take this qualification – and say a huge thank you to all the teachers and support staff in schools who helped them get to this point. Its onwards and upwards from here on in, and so many opportunities to go and chase your dreams. I remember the day I collected my results with a mix of nervousness & anticipation, and so a huge congratulations to every student who collected their results this week and good luck with whatever path you choose to take!
