The summer sun umbrellas have been put into storage for another winter. In Axminster, the Chamber of Commerce is packing up the fantastic colourful banners that have this year graced the streets of the town, thanks to the creative minds that contributed to the ‘Axminster Banners Project’. I will look forward to the banners’ appearance again next year, marking longer days and fairer weather.

One banner stood out for me last week. It was the banner which marks the link between Axminster and Douvres – the town in Normandy with which Axminster is twinned. Twinning is something that sprung up in the years after the second world war and offered hope for a more peaceful, cooperative future.

Liz Truss was asked two years ago whether the French president was a friend or a foe. “The jury’s out”, she replied. Weighing up Liz Truss’ time as Prime Minister two years ago, the jury of the British people had a much easier task in casting judgement. Now we are listening to yet another Conservative Party leadership election – or at least, the remaining Conservative MPs have to.

I was invited by Axminster Twinning Association to join a 25th anniversary of the friendship between Axminster and Douvres last week. It was supposed to be a breakfast, but the French coach driver exercised his right to have a coffee break. The breakfast became a brunch, by the time our friends were able to join us!

Meeting eye-to-eye with someone from another culture can teach us about the world beyond our shores, as I found out. We live in an age when there are computer programmes and translation apps for pretty much any language you might want to speak. Yet what a computer will not replace is the ability to interact with someone from another culture.

Last weekend I was pleased to hear that the Axminster-based Medics4Ukraine charity has returned safely from yet another visit to Eastern Ukraine, where they have bravely set aside their own safety to help the victims of Putin’s aggression. I am meeting later this week in London with a group of twelve MPs from the Ukrainian Parliament.

Douvres – like many of the towns on the Normandy coast with which English towns and villages are twinned – was liberated by the allies. It is just a hop and a skip away from Sword beach, that was made famous by the D-Day landings. Soaring energy prices, food prices and refugee arrivals all serve to remind us that what happens far away can still, to this day, affect us at home too.