THE events of the past three weeks, first in Manchester and, last weekend in London, have cast a great shadow over our nation.

 

I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that my thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the terrorist atrocities. The victims will never be forgotten.

I must pay tribute too to our emergency services who responded within minutes to the attack in London and showed bravery and professionalism in such terrifying circumstances, while members of the public and NHS staff put themselves in danger to help others.

The spirit shown by people in the wake of the tragedies is quite simply remarkable.

Londoners, refusing to be affected by the horrific acts of violence in their city, went about their business as usual and on Sunday evening, an extraordinary show of unity was displayed at Old Trafford cricket ground during the One Love Manchester tribute concert.

It was a reminder, if any were needed, that the British people come together in times of adversity and will not bow down to terrorism.

Today’s General Election is going ahead for that very reason. We cannot allow terrorists to dictate how we live our lives, let alone disrupt our democracy.

I therefore would encourage all readers to exercise their democratic right to vote today and to stand up for the values they hold most close to them.

In Swindon, our Electoral Services team have been working hard for many months to ensure the election goes as smoothly as possible.

Polling stations across the borough open at 7am and you can find a list of all the polling stations by visiting: www.swindon.gov.uk/forthcomingelections

A total of 590 staff will be working on the day at polling stations and into the night for the count itself when the polls close at 10pm.

We expect the first of 102 ballot boxes to arrive shortly after the polls close.

I’m sure the Advertiser will provide its usual comprehensive coverage from the count, but the Council’s Communications team will also be on hand to give you the very latest updates via Twitter (@swindonnews) and Facebook (SwindonBoroughCouncil).

Overall, 152,583 people have registered to vote in Swindon and an additional 14,000 people register since the General Election was announced.

If you are among those registered to vote, make sure you make your vote count.