WHEN the Assembly’s Mental Health Measure was granted Royal Assent in 2010 it was hailed as a ground-breaking piece of devolved legislation that would transform mental health service provision in Wales.

There have been some positive changes in the wake of the Measure but four years on we’re not there yet.

Only recently I heard the concerns of constituents with experience as volunteers in the Manchester mental health service but unable to use their experience here.

Legislation is all well and good but funding and willpower is needed to translate ideas into real results on the ground. One in four of us will experience some form of mental health problems at some point during our lifetime, it’s important that the services available are as responsive as they can be.

On the subject of responsiveness I was pleased to hear of Monmouthshire County Council’s ambition to make the county a “digital hub”.

Council leader Peter Fox is right to point to the importance of computer science and coding in schools so that the next generation are fully prepared for the changing pace of the modern economy.

But we should remember it’s not just the modern economy that makes Monmouthshire tick. The new Monmouthshire Livestock Market has certainly hit the ground running with farmers pleased with the facilities and first lambs selling for £2.80 a kilo, an example of a traditional way of life rising to the challenges of the modern world.

They say “nostalgia’s not what it used to be”. With this in mind I perused the exhibits in the sunshine of this year’s Abergavenny Steam Rally. Keep up the good work everyone involved in this jewel in the crown of the Abergavenny Bank Holiday weekend.

Right up to date and it’s great to hear that Sir Bradley Wiggins will be competing in Monmouthshire during the British Cycling National Road Race Championships. Events like this help to put our corner of Wales well and truly on the map and show off our breath-taking summer scenery at its best.

Finally I look forward to commemorating the sacrifices of our troops on Armed Forces Day on June 28 in this the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. I can’t imagine what it was like for those men on the Normandy beaches but I do know it’s because of their defence of freedom that I am able to write this column today.

Thank you.