It was amazing to see the incredible spirit of our local community this week after the break-in at the Barrow BID office.

There has been a huge outpouring of support across the town with many people donating to the just-giving page www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/barrowbid and helping the organisation smash through its initial fundraising target.

Barrow BID is a not-for-profit organisation, run by volunteer business owners, who do an incredible amount of work which benefits the whole area.

The set-back will not hold back their important work – I know that the group remain committed to making a difference and with everyone rallying around in support their remaining Christmas events will still be going ahead as planned.

Indeed the strength of our communities and the volunteers and groups who organise and pull things together is particularly important at this time of year.

They bring us together to celebrate, yes, but also to provide support and help other people.

The incredible range of events being put on across Furness this weekend really shows the vibrancy of our local communities. The Dalton Community Action Group bringing Santa and his sleigh to the town, those organising the Christmas Tree Festival at St George’s in Millom, the Mind in Furness Mental Elf Run in Ford Park, the Haverigg Inshore Rescue Team holding their afternoon Bingo fundraiser, and the Millom RLFC Christmas Market.

Activities like these spread joy, raise money, and most importantly give us something that is utterly priceless:  a feeling of togetherness, identity, and strength as a community.

But I know that they all take time and effort to organise – often at great personal cost to those who put themselves forwards.

I want to thank everyone who works so hard on these events and who make such a difference across our towns and villages.

We will always value the efforts of groups like Barrow BID and the many others like them who work so tirelessly to improve things for the wider community.