I hope you all had a great summer and enjoyed the fantastic spell of good weather we had.

It was a nice change for visitors to this year’s Loch Lomond Highland Games to enjoy the day basking in the sunshine.

It was also a pleasure to attend this year’s Scottish Pipe Band Championships when, as well as the many locals attending, I also got to meet many foreign visitors who come along and enjoy the traditional sound of the pipes for the day.

I was delighted to attend the 50th birthday of Craigellachie Children’s House. This house has been home to thousands of children over the years and it was a privilege to spend time with current and former residents and the dedicated staff who have provided love and support to the young people over the years.

Our pledge to build 1,000 homes by 2021 as part of our More Homes Better Homes initiative saw Kevin Stewart, minister for local government, housing and planning, visiting Clydebank to officially open the development on Second Avenue/Singer Street.

The council built 40 of the 84 new houses in the £4.8million development partnership between the council and Clydebank Housing Association offering residents modern, energy efficient and affordable new homes.

I attended Dumbarton Police Open Day last month and it was encouraging to see so many children there with their families. The police play a very important role in our communities and I was pleased to see so many young people at the event enjoying themselves while also building relations with the officers.

I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone involved in the successful European Championships 2018. West Dunbartonshire was proud to play host to the Open Water Swimming event at Loch Lomond and both the competitors and the visitors received a warm welcome to the area.

I officially opened the Old Kilpatrick Playgroup and Toddlers’ Educational Garden where volunteers have developed an outdoor space where the children can learn to grow their own vegetables and herbs and learn about potting plants.

The garden has been beautifully designed and I’m sure it will be well used by both the playgroup and the community.