I WAS pleased to welcome the Vice Consul of the Republic of Poland to join me at the unveiling of a plaque honouring the crew of Polish warship, ORP Piorun. The crew helped see off enemy fighters during the Clydebank Blitz when our town was subjected to one of the most brutal attacks of World War II. The plaque is a reminder to future generations of the bravery of the Polish sailors who kept their guns firing on enemy aircraft, and helped prevent the total obliteration of Clydebank.

I was proud to officially sign a formal friendship agreement between our council and Letterkenny Municipal District, in Donegal, Ireland. The agreement will encourage and strengthen relations between citizens of both communities by encouraging educational, sporting, tourism, economic and individual links between our two areas.

I was humbled to attend this year’s International Workers’ Memorial where I paid tribute to workers who have been killed, injured, disabled or made unwell as a result of their work. Sadly, around 50,000 people die in the UK every year from work-related ill-health and accidents. Worldwide, the figure is around two million, so this is an important date in my diary.

I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Sportshall Athletics final where pupils from across West Dunbartonshire gathered at Clydebank Leisure Centre. St Mary’s of Duntocher were crowned worthy winners, but pupils from every school worked hard and were totally committed to achieving their best for their school. Well done everyone.

It’s that time of year again when I need to ask you all to get your thinking caps on and nominate your local hero in this year’s Provost Civic Awards. We know we have many special people in West Dunbartonshire who make a significant contribution to improving the area and the lives of our residents. Do you have a special neighbour, a carer who goes that extra mile or is your child’s sports instructor the best? Local heroes can be nominated across five categories of Arts and Culture Champion, Sports Champion, Community/Voluntary Champion (Individual), Community/Voluntary Champion (team) and Youth Champion.

Don’t miss your chance to publicly thank these people, see the Council’s website and social media pages.