I officially opened a new Migrant Centre to help people develop skills to be more self-reliant and adapt to UK living. Sometimes complex job and benefit applications, sometimes simple driving etiquette! Great to see local assistance for this terrible international situation.

I caught up to present the final trophies to winners from the Worcester Show, albeit slightly delayed, and was then honoured to present more awards for users of the Wildgoose Rural Training Centre, an amazing group of carers, staff and volunteers showing how caring for the environment, growing things, and looking after farm animals can help people with mental and physical challenges, thrive. Many of them too had won at this year’s Worcester and Hallow Shows.

Manufactured artistic talent was on display at the Royal Porcelain Museum for a new exhibition of their Showstopper treasures. This is a great museum, and central to Worcester’s industrial and social history. Go in person or visit this new trail online, it’s well worth it.

The annual Mayor’s Dinner saw lots of representatives from local charities, community organisations, businesses mix with civic guests. It was a fun occasion and lovely to see friends and family too. My charities, OnSide Advocacy and Severn Arts were well represented and Behind the Smile and the local Parkinson’s Group were also invited. Link Nurseries from Powick, a centre for improving mental and physical health through horticulture, supplied sustainable pots of bulbs instead of cut flowers.

The event’s aim is to make new connections and generate future collaborations across the city and our keynote speaker, Jim O’Toole, gave a clear insight as to why Worcester is so interdependent across sport, culture, economic development, community organisations, volunteering and business. He had some words about Warriors of course but what is said on tour, stays on tour, as it were. It did prompt a couple of us to ruck up at Sixways on Monday night with no other plan than to see the locks being put on.