I’m reminded of my childhood this month, with an invitation to read to a primary school class and to also attend the launch of a new programme aimed at reading to babies and toddlers.

Many of us can recall favourite books we explored as kids, or that we read to our own children, or grandchldren.

The one I’m reading to children at Methven Primary School is called The Little Yellow Digger Goes to School. The little digger is brought in to dig a new swimming pool at the local school and hits a water main, causing some dealings with the local Council.

It’s fun, and finishes on a good note, and it’s a great opportunity to show that reading is a lifetime pursuit, whether it is for work or pleasure.

The Ashburton Library’s new 1000 Books Before School programme is a great way to establish the habit of reading, from infancy. If you read one book a night, for three years, then you will pass the target and help establish a platform for life-long literacy and opportunity.

Reading is not everyone’s strong point, so the definition of reading is broad: you can sing, tell a story, recite what happened in your day or put on an audiobook and sit together and listen.

Building platforms for the future is something that Council does for the community – having compliant water and wastewater networks, and good roads and rubbish collections is at the core of our work.

Looking after people is also important and so it was great to see the 40,000-plus people who enjoyed Glow in the Park. While Glow has been put to bed for this year, Council staff are already working on the next fun and free gathering for residents to enjoy, so watch for details of a food festival later in the year.

Food was the order of the day for a smaller, but no less important, event at the Tinwald Hall earlier this week. I had the privilege of officially thanking three long-serving members of the Tinwald Memorial Hall Board for their volunteer work collectively spanning 114 years.

John Harris, Maureen Colville and Theresa O’Connell have retired from the board recently and it was my pleasure to present them each with certificates of appreciation for their service.

It is fitting that this celebration happened during Volunteer Week, as volunteers play a large role in making the Ashburton District a welcoming and attractive place to live.