OVER the weekend, I took the opportunity to discuss green technologies at Wilton Community Centre, where an open house event showcased some of the latest devices.

Seeing these technologies in action, saving carbon and saving their owners money, is the best way to judge whether they are right for you and your lifestyle.

There are no more enthusiastic or well-informed advocates of green technology than those who are already reaping the benefits and, fortunately, the Government has made a lot of grants and schemes available to help householders take the plunge.

It was a beautiful day for the mayor-making ceremonies on Saturday. I enjoyed learning about our new mayor’s excellent appeal to raise £50,000 for Exeter House School.

While it has been pleasing to see significant investment in new buildings at the school in recent times, I hope the 754th Mayor’s appeal will be successful in equipping the school with a sensory garden to further enhance its high quality provision.

Over the next two weeks, I will be out and about in the constituency. On Monday, my involvement with the all-party inquiry into food poverty took me to a project in Deptford, London and on Tuesday, I travelled to Taunton to participate in the A303 feasibility study.

Fortunately, the rest of the week will be spent closer to home. I am pleased to be attending the launch of Vodafone technology bringing a mobile telephone signal to areas of Winterslow previously not served by any network.

Many people have worked long and hard to solve this problem.

I am pleased to have been able to help out with a bit of “matchmaking” with Vodafone and I hope the final result will now be worthy of the determination and perseverance shown by local campaigners, without which we would never have reached this point.

My challenge is to inspire similar solutions elsewhere in the constituency.

Like many people, I am also looking forward to the many delights of Salisbury Festival which starts this weekend – in particular the free concerts and open air performances, which give the city such a vibrant feel at this time of year.