THIS has been a magical few weeks, as the whole country came together in support of Team GB and the sheer audacious scale of the Olympic events and achievements took our collective breath away.

From the big set-piece ceremonies showcasing that unique British mix of talent and self-deprecation to the extraordinary winning ways of our medallists, the wonderful locations that showed off the best of our heritage to the packed crowds noisily and generously cheering on every competitor, it was a truly wonderful Games.

I particularly enjoyed seeing so many women competing and the proportion of female competitors rose from 26 per cent in Seoul to 44 per cent in London.

It was also heartening to see women from Saudi Arabia compete for the first time (although sobering to reflect that they would not be able to drive a car at home).

With the sell-out Paralympics about to start, the summer of sport is not over yet and, even better, we have been blissfully free of the carping (masquerading as “balanced reporting”) that the media moaners feel obliged to trot out on great British occasions, although only the BBC could turn the success of some of our finest sportsmen and women into a diatribe about social class.

As well as enjoying the Olympics and trying to persuade Mr P to grow a pair of Wiggos (he says the Noddy Holder look is not for him), I have been crisscrossing the constituency, inviting people to join me for Coffee With Claire at local cafés and pubs.

So far, we have covered local bus services, the NHS, assisted suicide, immigration, business growth, milk prices and international aid. On August 29 I will be in Larkhill ’s Green Tree Café at 9am; Beeches Community Centre, Bulford at 10am and Tidworth Leisure Centre, at 10.45am.

Join me if you can.