“Love Where You Live” is one of the campaign slogans of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, but it is a message that reaches far beyond rubbish.

It is a call to arms to do your bit to help keep our environment clean and tidy and create spaces that everyone can enjoy. But it is also a reminder that we can all help make our community a better place to live by getting out and enjoying what it has to offer.

We are incredibly lucky in our community to live, learn, work, and enjoy ourselves in an area that has a huge amount to offer. Just this month we have got loads going on right here on our doorstep.

Weston’s Marine Lake reopened on June 1 after a big clean-up operation led by North Somerset Council and supported by the volunteers of the Marine Lake Mudlarks.

Together, we have removed more than 30,000 tonnes of silt and created a great all-year-round outdoor swimming space in Weston again.

Next week, on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, we see the return of the Weston Air Festival for the first time since its Covid-enforced break.

This is a free festival that offers loads of entertainment for residents as well as bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to town to support our economy. We are really pleased that North Somerset Council is able to support this event with our event partner REM.

The festival also includes the excellent Armed Forces Weekend events on the Beach Lawns, organised by a local committee and ably supported by Weston-super-Mare Town Council.

This month has also seen the opening of Weston’s long-awaited bowling alley at Dolphin Square. Spearheaded by local businesspeople Pete and Sally Wallington, this is a fantastic new facility for residents to enjoy. We wish them every success and thank them for investing in Weston.

There are lots more new businesses opening every day. Just this month we’ve seen the cafés reopen in Ashcombe Park and Grove Park, following investment and energy from local people. The café in Clarence Park continues to go from strength to strength.

Weston is home to one of the country’s top-performing colleges in Weston College.

This month it was announced that the college principal was to be knighted by The Queen. A well-deserved tribute to Dr Paul Phillips, absolutely, but also a reflection of the brilliant record of the college and the amazing young people and learners who are the future of our community.

In the end, we can only build a stronger and more successful community by loving where we live.

By getting out and supporting our businesses and events, we can enjoy ourselves and help to support jobs and investment in our collective future.

By volunteering for or supporting our community organisations, we help to create an even greater place where everyone can enjoy living. By backing our young people, we can build for the future and continue to make our area the best it can be.