THE aim of Switch on to Swindon is to promote the town, change perceptions of the place in order to attract more businesses to invest here along with more people to work and live here.

So I understand why I would be approached to comment on the recent television programme 999: What’s Your Emergency? which focussed on Swindon.

First of all let me be honest and say I haven’t watched the show in question but am, like most of us, familiar with the format. Has the reputation for Swindon been irreparably damaged by the airing of a fly on the wall television show? No. Is it disappointing that Swindon, like all major towns and cities across the country has a small element whose behaviour falls well short of what the majority of decent people would consider acceptable? Yes, of course it is.

I would echo all of the sentiments of the local MPs and Swindon councillors. Swindon is a very safe place to live and work with decent people making positive contributions to their communities on a daily basis. It is an economically prosperous town with the potential for growth and continues to attract businesses.

What I’m sure the programme does demonstrate is the incredible patience and professionalism of our police officers in dealing with the tiny, but very disruptive, element of society who engage in anti-social and criminal activity. For that, the emergency services should be applauded.

So, let’s talk about a couple of our ambassadors who are part of the majority of Swindonians making a positive difference. Triple Two Coffee celebrated its first birthday last week with a visit from the Mayor of Swindon, Maureen Penny.

Triple Two supported our most recent ambassador event at the BMW Dick Lovett showroom and won over even more fans judging by the speed at which the food was devoured. I was delighted to hear about the expansion plans for Triple Two and am sure that this great business, made in Swindon, will go on to have even more success across the country.

I should say that other great coffee outlets are available in Swindon and you only have to go to the ambassador listing on www.switchontoswindon.com to find them!

One of the first businesses to sign up as a Switch on to Swindon ambassador was creative agency Jazzbones. Founder of the company, Nathan Sandu has been a staunch supporter of the campaign not least because he is a born and bred Swindonian but also because he has grown his successful business here.

Nathan and his design team have developed a fantastic range of vintage inspired travel posters that promote Swindon’s hidden gems.

They are eye-catching and, in my opinion, rather beautiful and deserve a wide viewing – see them here www.jazzbones.co.uk The reason I’m shining a light on this is that one of our ambassadors has taken it upon themselves to do something completely off their own back, using the skills that they have available, to paint Swindon in a different light.

They have taken the values of Switch on to Swindon and given it their own twist. As a result there has been considerable local and national media coverage and people are talking about Swindon in a positive way.

It is the combination of all these different types of positive activity that are ambassadors are doing which will start moving the dial on how people think about and feel about Swindon.