IT was a privilege to be at the naming of HMS Queen Elizabeth at Rosyth on Friday. Who says the UK doesn’t make things anymore?

A while back I attended a briefing at Wiltshire Fire Brigade HQ to discuss mergers, a necessity that has arisen in order to square the budget and prevent a reduction in the service to residents and businesses. Matters are now coming to a head.

There are a number of administrative configurations that may avoid frontline fire service cuts. Merger with the not dissimilar Dorset Fire and Rescue Service is a front- runner in my view, otherwise the sharing of backroom functions with the council or other emergency services.

The “do nothing” option would lose firemen and some of the important community work they do, such as the Salamader project, and lengthen response times.

The announcement of the Swindon and Wiltshire growth deal by the government is most welcome. It’s underscored the importance of the A350 corridor and the junction 17 interconnection with the M4.

It seems highly likely that from here to junction 15 at Swindon will see a great deal of construction, rightly capitalising on the motorway links.

However, I would like assurances about the A350 running south to the coast since it struggles with existing traffic volumes.

I’m pleased the growth deal supports the Porton Science Park.

High tech jobs in our area are very much needed and I’m pleased too that there’s an emphasis on up-skilling.

What I don’t want is the creation of urban sprawl and for residents to be commuting on roads and rail that are not up to it.

If the new employment opportunities are along the M4 corridor for logistical convenience, then that’s where homes should be built.

Well done Warminster Civic Trust for its show and tell event on Saturday.

I was fascinated to see the artefacts people had found locally as evidence of Iron Age, Roman and later settlements.