I LOVE Swindon and I don’t mind admitting it. It’s true that we don’t have the Roman architecture of Bath, or the gleaming spires of Oxford, but what we do have is a town where people want to provide for their families, keep their hopes up, and contribute to their communities, writes RUSSELL HOLLAND.

It’s true that there is much work to do and we can’t be complacent about the need to improve. But once in a while, I think it’s important to take a step back and really appreciate what we have.

For me, part of the reason I love Swindon is that it’s my home. I am proud to be Swindon born and bred.

Swindon gave me the education that I needed to go on to get additional qualifications to enable me to have a professional career and to own my own home.

When I got married, my wife was willing to leave Los Angeles, California, to come to live here, and now she loves it too.

I ran for election because I wanted to have the opportunity to make a positive difference to my home town and I regard it as a privilege to have the chance to serve.

There are lots of statistics about what makes Swindon a great place. We can point to the favourable employment levels, economic growth, transport links, public services and leisure opportunities.

But what makes Swindon a great place are the people. It is because of all the good people in this town that I am confident about our future.

Make no mistake, while I feel optimistic, there are challenging times ahead.

Swindon, like the rest of the country, is going to have to adapt to reduced public expenditure and the economic uncertainty following Brexit. But I am confident that we can get through it and make the best of it.

But to do this it’s important that everyone, politicians and residents, all find ways to contribute to make things better.

So I invite everyone reading this to ask, what can I do for the town?

It might be as simple as making a donation of time or money to any one of the many inspiring organisations across Swindon.

It might be serving as a school governor.

It might be just keeping an eye out for an elderly neighbour or taking a more active interest in our friends and family members who might be facing challenges.

It might be fostering.

It might be helping clean up the neighbourhood as part of a community litter pick.

To paraphrase a former US President, maybe now is the time to ask not what Swindon can do for you, but what you can do for Swindon?