I CANNOT believe it is already the end of April.

Tomorrow is the start of May and a time to celebrate the start of summer and, for me, an opportunity to look back on what has been an eventful year already.

On Monday I had the honour of hosting Inverclyde’s event to mark International Workers Memorial Day.

It was an occasion – held every year – to remember workers around the world who are killed in incidents at work or by disease caused by work.

This may be 2014 but the age-old industrial and work-related risks are still very real and the consequences just as deadly as before health and safety regulation.

The figures speak for themselves.

Decades after it was banned asbestos still claims 100,000 lives globally.

Each year more than two million men and women die as a result of work-related accidents and diseases.

Workers suffer approximately 270 million accidents each year and fall victim to some 160 million incidents of related illnesses.

In short, one worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide — 6,000 every day.

More people die whilst at work than those fighting wars.

Every death is a death too many.

The impact on families and friends is devastating and their loss is something we have a duty to recognise.

Their lives are something we should remember.

Speaking of family, I helped my son move in to a new flat over the Easter holiday weekend.

I won’t bore you with tales of my heroics carrying the dreaded washing machine up four flights of stairs.

After the move, we were able to take some old, unwanted furniture to the council’s Kirn Drive and Pottery Street recycling facilities.

Staff there are doing a great job and I was hugely appreciative of them working over the holiday period.

Finally, I would like to thank the President and all of the committee at Greenock Wanderers for inviting me to officially open the near newly refurbished pitch at Fort Matilda to mark the club’s 140th anniversary.

It was a fantastic occasion and very pleasing to see so many people turn out to watch the ‘Old Crocks’ triumph over a Renfrewshire District Veterans Select side.

The event was a real team effort by everyone involved and once again shows the positives of working together for the benefit of everyone here in Inverclyde.