Last weekend, Southampton celebrated the annual Sikh Vaisakhi Festival with the flag raising ceremony at the Civic Centre and the traditional parade through the streets of the City.

Vaisakhi celebrates the founding of the Sikh community, the Khalsa in 1699, and Sunday's celebration were also an opportunity to reflect on the founding principles of the faith, the importance of working hard, service and of honesty.

There was a reminder that the Gurdwaras in Southampton all offer Langar, to those of all faiths, and I was at the Gurdwara Nanaksar a few weeks ago for the Council of Faith's friendship lunch.

As it is recess I am spending a great deal of time visiting organisations around the City, including the Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group who offer support and advice to refugees in the City.

The drop in they operate at Avenue St Andrews Church provides help with housing, school places for children, a food and clothing bank, and essential one to one support with learning English.

I met an incredible young woman this week who has been here a year under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

She was explaining that when she arrived, she had been 100% reliant on Google Translate, but now is speaking English fluently and has been working during her time in the UK.

Very bravely she is heading back to Ukraine this weekend, to be with her family who all stayed at home.

But there can be no doubt that she has both enjoyed and benefited from her time in the UK, and we have benefited from her being here.

Of course, recess had barely got going before we were recalled for a Saturday sitting. 

These occur only very rarely, although I think I have done two in the last few Parliaments.

This time I was in the Chair for the Committee Stage of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, albeit a Committee Stage that lasted less than 5 minutes.

There was the excitement of a Point of Order, but it was a day of no drama, we all recognised the need to keep the blast furnaces going.