It is important whenever you are faced with disappointment that you try your best to bounce back even stronger.

This is exactly what we will do here in Swindon after learning this week we had been unsuccessful in our bid to become the home of the new Great British Railways HQ. It was always going to be a tough call as the Government’s Levelling Up Agenda is heavily focused, quite rightly, on the North of the country.

The expression of interest we submitted on behalf of Swindon was a strong one, recognising our rich railway heritage, while looking to the future and our vision for a world-leading rail cluster, which would pave the way for the next golden era of the rail industry.

We highlighted the fact we are home to one of England’s most productive workforces, while also boasting an impressive technical educational and training offer. We felt we could have established a national centre of excellence for the railway sector, building on the wealth of rail organisations and businesses that are already thriving here.

The bid was well supported by local people and organisations. In March, we launched a survey to gauge the views of the public about whether our town would make a good location for the HQ.

In total, over 3,600 residents responded, with just over 95 per cent of those who took part supporting Swindon’s bid.

A number of top organisations endorsed the official expression of interest, with many more signing an open letter to Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, promoting the benefits of Swindon as the location for the HQ.

If you showed your support for the bid – thank you. It was really heartening to see so many positive comments about Swindon and the outpouring of civic pride was also wonderful to witness.

So what now? Well, this is certainly not the end of the rail track for us. Although we may have missed out on hosting the GBR HQ, a number of new regional headquarters will be set up across the country which the Government says will put decision-making and investment at the heart of communities that use those railways day to day.

We are well placed to make a strong case to host one of these regional hubs and we will do all we can to put ourselves at the forefront of the thoughts of both the Government and the new GBR organisation when those decisions are made.

In the meantime, we will continue to invest in our railway heritage so it is part of our bright future.

I said this week that the railways are part of Swindon’s DNA and you don’t have to go far to see Brunel’s legacy living on in our lives today.

Once home to the brilliant engineer’s works, Swindon Designer Outlet is a bustling, hive of activity seven days a week.

Our STEAM Museum tells the story of how Swindon became the town it is today and we are embarking on the multi-million-pound refurbishment of heritage buildings such as the Carriage Works and Health Hydro as part of our ongoing work to promote Swindon’s Railway Village through the Heritage Action Zone project.