WHILE many of us are noticing the transition into the autumn season and the inclement weather that often comes with it, for those in the political sphere it is conference season and I therefore have been in Manchester this week to meet with colleagues, delegates and exhibitors.

A gathering of such a high number of people from a wide variety of backgrounds provides an excellent opportunity to discuss goings on in all corners of the country, and I this week had endless pride in telling fellow conference attendees of the effort that we, as a community in Barry, go to in order to support others facing difficulty.

A first rate demonstration of this Barry spirit was the enthusiasm showed by many in the town in hosting and attending coffee mornings last week in aid of Macmillan.

The cancer support charity encouraged us to "change lives with every slice" on Friday, with coffee mornings taking place across the country.

Here in Barry, some fantastic coffee mornings were hosted and in turn made their contributions to the thousands of pounds raised for Macmillan on the day.

I kick-started my Friday with a coffee and a Welsh cake with the Barry Soroptomists who were hosting their Macmillan coffee morning in the perfect location - the Barry beach huts!

Pupils in secondary schools across the Vale also went to tremendous effort by transforming their morning break time into a 'Great British Bake Off' style challenge, where some truly delicious sweet treats were made and bought, all in aid of Macmillan. It was heart-warming to witness the pride which these pupils took in providing a lively and successful coffee morning, and I commend them all for their hard work.

Like so many charities in the UK, Macmillan is crucial in helping those in their darkest hour. I have every confidence that all those cancer patients supported by Macmillan will have the utmost appreciation for Barry and the commitment shown in aiding this thoroughly deserving cause.