These are very exciting times but to say it’s been busy is an understatement. To be truthful, I had not expected being a councillor would be so full on.

Work is now progressing with both the Riverside and museum redevelopments. For Riverside, people can see some of what is happening in the form of a building site on the car park along side Victoria Road. What you cannot see is the mass of activity that takes place behind the scenes to make all this happen.

The Riverside project is technically complicated and difficult due to the location and the merging of the old and new, but, of course, once complete it means it will be in the heart of our city. I am really looking forward to the grand opening in January 2019.

With the fantastic result of a successful bid for Heritage Lottery Funding for Oaklands Museum, it’s now full steam ahead on that project too. At the moment progress will not be so obvious, but in the background a lot is happening.

In January 2018 the old side of the museum will shut so exhibits can be packed up for the refurbishment but the new build will stay open to the public. What’s now important is engagement with future users of the museum. We are looking to set up a group of twelve 15 to 24-year-old volunteer curators to provide additional input to our ideas and design. So if you are interested, get in touch.

Meanwhile, activities continue with the Discovery Festival, which takes place from December 3 to 8. This gives schools and other visitors a chance to try out activities to help understand what it means to live with disability, which is additional to our usual programme of events.

On the subject of volunteering, I just want to say how important this is. In my specific area of responsibility, Leisure and Heritage, we have tremendous support. There are a great many people giving up their time to make Chelmsford a better place to live. Their contribution is invaluable - in my view they are unsung heroes.

It’s easy to be negative but a lot of investment, in every sense is going into making Chelmsford better. A great example of this was a joint venture in early September when over 100 ‘Ford’ employees used their community days and joined with Chelmsford City Council staff to transform areas of Sandford Mill. The volunteers and staff all went the extra mile. We now have a lasting legacy that will benefit the young people of our city.

A lot of what is happening is not just about the here and now, it’s about shaping the future. So if you can spare the time, please put yourselves forward.