* JUNE had a Big Society flavour with a highlight being the Forum I held in Devizes where more than a hundred people from all over Wiltshire came to hear the Minister, Nick Hurd, speak and answer questions on the topic.

We covered a lot of ground including: the concept which involves looking “out” to our local communities rather than “up” to central government; the government’s plans to make volunteering easier by cutting red tape and more rewarding through volunteering credits (and possibly tax discounts); and the funding available for organisations through the Big Society bank.

* I also had the great pleasure of seeing true community spirit in action when I went to Figheldean to open the new Community Rooms. These used to be the setting for the youth club and, during the afternoon, we paid tribute to John Chant who organised and ran the club for more than forty years. The rooms will now be used for local events and there are plans for a postal point and a pre-school in the building.

* Last Saturday saw us marking Armed Forces Day,and I recently presented a Private Members Bill to the House of Commons, calling for a Bank Holiday to celebrate the work of the Armed Forces.

I think this is long overdue especially as many other countries including Russia, USA, Canada, France, Israel, New Zealand and Australia have a public Armed Forces day holiday.

My suggestion was the Monday after Remembrance Sunday and this has received strong support from MPs from all political parties.