With the news agenda currently filled with war and the cost-of-living crisis, it is sometimes hard to remember that there is so much good in the world too. We only need to look to our own borough to see some wonderful examples of the great things people do for others.

Recently, I was honoured to meet with over 25 residents who have volunteered to host people under the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme. The council held a private information event for hosts, giving them the opportunity to speak directly with our support service staff and local organisations, including involve Community Services and Job Centre Plus.

The attendees were given information leaflets in English, Ukrainian and Russian and signposted to the range of wrap-around support available, as well as guidance and information for the first days and weeks after arrival. A Q&A session at the end provided an opportunity to have any queries answered directly. Some hosts had already welcomed guests into their homes and it was encouraging to hear positive feedback about the support they had received from the council. More information on how the council is supporting arrivals from Ukraine is on our website.

We were honoured to have The Duke of Gloucester officially open our new Heathlands facility yesterday. He met with representatives from the council, our healthcare and project partners and took time to chat with some patients and their families.

Heathlands welcomed its first patients in April this year and will provide services to patients with intermediate care and dementia care needs under one roof. It’s an excellent example of partnership working between the council, Frimley CCG and Frimley NHS Health Foundation Trust and will provide an exciting opportunity for health and care staff to work together to benefit local people. We will be sharing some photos of the opening on our social media channels, so do keep a look out for them.

On Sunday, it was lovely to see so many Bracknell Forest residents, visitors, council staff members, and runners wearing novelty outfits, taking part in The Lexicon Bracknell Half Marathon. I even spotted a dinosaur making its way round the 13.1 mile course, which must have been a very long morning for the runner inside it.

Congratulations to everyone who took part, volunteered, cheered people on, and helped clean up afterwards. It really is an event made by the people involved, raises money for some great causes and is a mainstay of our events schedule. For reference, the first runner back was Jonnie Mitchell in a stunning time of one hour, 15 minutes and 41 seconds.

It is events such as these that make me so proud to be part of the Bracknell Forest community and we can now look forward to a summer of events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at the beginning of June.