Last Saturday morning I attended the annual Remembering Srebrenica commemoration. Thirty-one years after the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it remains vitally important that we pause to remember the more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys who were murdered.

The events at Srebrenica stand as a stark reminder of the terrible consequences of hatred, prejudice and the dehumanisation of others. Thank you to everyone who came to Worcester Guildhall to honour those who lost their lives. It was good to see so many councillors, civic leaders and faith representatives reaffirming our shared commitment to building a society founded on respect, understanding and compassion.

Together we read the Srebrenica Pledge, and reflected that remembrance is not simply about looking back, but about recognising our continued responsibility to challenge prejudice and discrimination wherever we encounter it.

As a city, Worcester is proud of its diverse communities. It is fantastic when I get the opportunity to learn about and enjoy other cultural experiences. I was fortunate to be able to do just that in a very different event on Saturday evening.

Ramayanothsavam was a wonderful celebration of Indian heritage and culture. The event brought people from across the UK to Tudor Grange, where they competed in art, music and dance contests. Alaric and I helped to award the winners of these competitions. I was so pleased to see the excitement and energy of everyone in the room, especially the young people. Everyone there was having so much fun and the music was brilliant.

We also got to see the final of the Goalfix Cup. Goalball is a sport specifically designed for visually impaired people. It involves a long goal on either side, with three people using their whole body to defend them. The players are completely blindfolded and use their ears to hear the ball coming. I was surprised by the speed, accuracy and force they use to defend the goal. An avid fan next to me told me they were very padded up but I think I would need far more padding to throw myself at the ground like that.

Additionally, thanks to the wonderful Ian Care who organised my visit to the event, I got to hold one of the balls they use. It was heavy and really solid. Both Alaric and I were surprised by how hard they would have to throw it at the ground to reach the speed that they achieve. It was a very exciting game and I would recommend anyone to go and watch it next time.