I want to congratulate all those pupils who have already had exam results – and those who will get them today. For everyone concerned they are a stepping stone to their futures. And at the same time, we must thank our teachers and carers, and of course parents, for all they do to help our young people achieve and thrive.

The results have also brought into ever sharper focus for me the wonderful work which has been going on all summer in our Food and Fun programme. More than 800 local children took part in this school-based programme which provides food and nutrition education, physical activity, enrichment sessions and healthy meals for children.

And one aspect that has particularly impressed me is the team of wonderful youth workers who help support this scheme, and at the same time carve out a possible path to their own futures. They are all more than sixteen years old and from our Monmouthshire schools. Many have taken part for more than one summer.

This year more than 100 registered to help with the local scheme and one can track the way in which this work experience, paid with the real living wage, itself leads to future careers, be it in catering, in sport, in all types of leadership roles or other aspects of the organisation of these schemes.

Many of the youth workers had started their leadership skills training in our primary school under the Playmakers scheme, then went on to the Young Ambassadors programme in secondary schools, later worked as volunteers and now had well-paid summer jobs.

Everyone I spoke to loved taking part in the programme - one girl was a site leader for us this summer after she had just qualified as a primary school teacher, so will start her teaching career in one of our schools next month, keeping her talent within the county! Another got a summer job at Camp America on the back of last year’s experience on the scheme.

I am also very aware how school holidays can put all types of pressure on families, and the Food and Fun programme is designed to address just these issues. It was run with Welsh Government funding by our MonLife team across five host schools in our area this year. We were able to provide more than four thousand breakfasts and lunches, all freshly prepared with locally-sourced ingredients.

The sessions are a great way for children to keep active, have fun and stay in contact with their peer group and enjoy nutritious food. It has been lovely to see them socialising with friends old and new.

The scheme, the way it is run and the host of positive outcomes are exactly what we are always trying to achieve in Monmouthshire, working within and across communities together with others.