Reading has always been one of my private pleasures and I've always felt it important to encourage excitement about reading in young people.

Last week, I was lucky enough to visit Sandhurst School and congratulate them on their success in the Summer Reading Challenge. I donated a few books to their excellent library as well as reading a few stories together.

As I do every year, I also took some time to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. Although it presents an opportunity to remember those who lost their lives to a barbarism that is still uncomfortably close in terms of years gone by, it also allows us to recall those who risked their lives to protect those under threat.