Weekly column by Stroud mayor Tony Davey 

Monday evening was our Full Council meeting where all our Town Councillors, plus County Council and District Council Councillors, are invited to provide updates and (in some cases) deliberate.

We had quite an agenda to cover, from accepting the minutes from Committees, understanding the progress with our regeneration of Locking Hill Surgery and a discussion about potential allowances for Councillors at our tier of government.

With the Locking Hill Surgery development, we are focused on the space we need to conduct Council business in a more efficient and effective way, in addition to providing fresh and new community spaces that are not abundant in this part of town.

Tuesday I had the honour of joining Meningitis Now as part of their awareness campaign.

Being Mayor means attending a significant number of meetings, some functions and events - no day or engagement is ever the same.

This particular engagement is close to my heart as (in common with many in Gloucestershire) a friend of mine was taken by Meningitis some years ago.

The event on Tuesday was supported by GWR and I am very thankful for their support of Meningitis Now and their work.

The train started in Cheltenham, picking up supporters and staff at almost every station along the way, in all cases driving awareness of Meningitis and distributing some useful information cards - plus conducting vital fundraising. Meningitis obeys no barriers - it can affect anyone, of any age, at any time.

I had the privilege to meet amazing volunteers and staff, plus meet those who shared their story of how Meningitis has impacted them or a loved one. I urge you to check out the Meningitis Now website and make sure you understand the symptoms and know what to look out for.

A moment of your time doing that could literally save a life, and Meningitis can hit fast. I learned so much on my journey with everyone to Paddington that Tuesday - the stories I heard will remain with me and at the forefront of my mind.

Thursday brought our Regeneration Committee meeting, where the Town Council, District Council, County Council, Stroud & District Chamber of Trade & Commerce, and Civic Society meet to discuss topics relevant to the regeneration of the town.

We received an update on work to clean up and maintain the town, a valuable update on the results of the consultation around the Merrywalks Bus Hub and discussion about overall bus shelter provision across our patch. The Consultation regarding the Bus Hub raised elements that fall outside of the remit the County Council have set, but that doesn't mean the answers should be discarded.

The Committee resolved to look at these in more detail and better understand how we can try to work together to drive change.

I'll be honest, the common barrier is all too often the lack of available funds - but that doesn't mean we should avoid looking to see what can be done, even if it has to be small and incremental steps.