In a rather regular looking house on Edgar Street there is an organisation that helps young people with their mental health. They give young people a safe space and the chance to talk through issues and develop mechanisms to cope with the world they are living in, and they do all of this through play.

Last week I was thrilled to visit Our Space Play and Family Therapies to talk about the work they do and the issues they face securing funding for their work. They have many extensively trained therapists but they are not currently eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council, in the same way that arts or music therapists are. Therefore, they rely on donations and parents to be able to pay for their work. They offer a really valuable service in our community and I hope they are able to secure funding to continue for a long time.

It was lovely to return to Kidderminster over the weekend, where I spent many years studying at Kidderminster College. This was for Mayor Shazu Miah’s Civic Service. I thought Shazu’s choice of reading was lovely. It spoke of how we should support and learn from the younger generation, which related to his charity, Kidderminster & District Youth Trust (KYDYT). KYDYT run a number of youth clubs in Kidderminster and aim to support and empower young people. Shazu’s other charity is H.E.L.P Kidderminster, who support homeless people in the community. Both are fantastic causes and well needed.

On Monday, I welcomed some German exchange students to the Guildhall. They were part of an exchange programme with Blessed Edward’s and they were somewhat impressed by my very rudimentary German speaking ability. It is concerning to think that I achieved an A in my GCSE German 10 years ago and now I can just about string together a few lines. However, I was able to introduce myself as “die Bürgermeisterin” and tell them they were a “fantastiche gruppe von studenten”.

I judged my first-ever speaking competition at Hollymount School. The year 3s and 4s gave a reading of their favourite poem and the Year 5s and 6s read a short piece they had written about someone who inspired them. Among the list of inspiring people were Sir David Attenborough, Ariana Grande and “my dad”. It was incredibly difficult to judge the competition as they were all brilliant. I had to stop myself from putting 10/10 in all categories. The students clearly enjoyed it and developed skills that will support them for the rest of their lives. The competition is run each year by Worcester Rotary Club, who do many things to support Hollymount and their sister school Carnforth.