THIS weekend promises to see Barry rocking again with the return of the ever-growing GlastonBARRY festival at Romilly Park.

The event, set up by Mack Events - founded by cousins and local men Ross Mackintosh and Matt Blumberg in 2013 - has once again secured a stellar line-up of some of the UK’s top tribute bands.

The event is growing year on year and it’s great to see it attracting people into the town from different parts of Wales and the UK to appreciate Barry, in turn providing a boost for local businesses.

And from one excellent event to another – the annual Vale of Glamorgan Show takes place at the magnificent Fonmon Castle on Wednesday, August 10.

This year I have the honour and privilege of being president of the Vale Show, one which over the last couple of decades has provided many fond memories for my family and I, and has developed into unquestionably the premier one-day show in Wales.

The show’s success is built upon the outstanding dedication provided by the organisers and the immeasurable generosity of the team of volunteers and stewards ensures the visiting public has so much to experience and enjoy on the day.

Please do come and join in with the fun as the Vale Show succeeds in bringing together people and lifestyles from both town and country, showcasing the very best of Vale of Glamorgan life and beyond.

Moving from exciting summer attractions to the world of politics, it was a pleasure to welcome our new prime minister to the Senedd last week with Vale colleague and secretary of state, Alun Cairns.

From an Assembly perspective, the Welsh Conservatives will work shoulder to shoulder with Theresa May and the UK Government to ensure that Wales and for that matter, Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan, enjoys a bright, successful future.

One of the key aspects to continued prosperity will be building on the economic foundations we have laid in government at Westminster since 2010 and it was pleasing to see the latest employment figures showing unemployment has halved in the Vale during the last six years.

However, we cannot afford to be complacent and the new prime minister is determined to develop policies revolving around a One Nation conservatism which delivers a country that works for everyone.

In closing, it was great to see the crowds flock to Barry Island last week to capture some of the glorious summer sun we have been waiting for these past few weeks.

We are extremely fortunate to have one of the best attractions in the country on our doorstep and it was therefore disappointing to see Barry’s beaches abused with significant amounts of litter.

While this is undoubtedly dropped by a small minority of visitors, such behaviour disrupts a trip to the beach for everyone and while there are a number of bin facilities available I hope the Vale council takes whatever measures are available to them to ensure our beautiful clean beach remains just that.