I WOULD like to welcome you to my first regular column as Provost.

It is a huge honour to have been chosen to serve Inverclyde and already in a few short weeks I have had the privilege of representing the area at a number of events.

Earlier this month I joined my counterpart in Renfrewshire for the annual Armed Forces Day service in Paisley Abbey.

It was an opportunity to bring communities from across Inverclyde and Renfrewshire and pay our respects to those who have served over many years and in many conflicts, and to recognise those who are currently serving at home and abroad in our name.

Last weekend I was particularly pleased to officially welcome the P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea back to Inverclyde and Scotland for the second year.

The two days were a great success with around 30,000 people enjoying the sunshine and the spectacular racing on the Clyde.

Large-scale events like this don’t happen overnight and I would like to thank everyone involved for their efforts over many months to keep this event fun, exciting and, above all, safe.

Given the tragedies in London and Manchester over recent months safety and security were understandably a priority and I would like to express my appreciation for the patience shown by everyone who came along.

A little inconvenience goes a long way when it comes to ensuring everything runs smoothly and I thought visitors, spectators and of course local residents understood and accepted the necessary measures that were put in place.

I would also like to thank the emergency services for the work they do each and every day but also in particular for the planning for events like this.

The P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea was a chance to show that Inverclyde is a great place to live, work and visit but also an ideal location to host large-scale events.

Finally I would like to congratulate all of the winners at this year’s Community Champions Awards hosted by the Greenock Telegraph last Friday.

Inverclyde is all about its people and its communities and the night was an occasion to celebrate all that is good.

The achievements of the nominees and winners were truly inspirational but it is important to recognise the Telegraph team for showcasing the inspirational stories through the pages of the newspaper and on the night.