WHAT might be a nice thing to do with young kids during the week is the Summertime Storytime and Rhyme at the Book Vault bookshop on Market Street.

Ivy who works there is a specialist children’s speech and language therapist as well as the co-owner which may be handy info.

The sessions last 45 minutes, they’re free (there’s also air con in the shop!) and are a great way to make reading part of little children’s normal life.

They will run through the summer holidays starting July 30, every Thursday 10.45 to 11.30am for 2-6 year olds accompanied by their parents/caregivers. Please book in advance as space will be limited. Just message them via their facebook page (@thebookvault07). Who doesn’t love a story being told to them? Please get kids into books as early as possible. Didn’t do me any harm.

There is a new charity in town offering support to families and patients touched by dementia called The Old Courthouse Day Centre.

The centre was previously operated by BIADS but their decision to close it meant a great deal of disappointment to a lot of people and so, with the help of Liddy’s Solicitors and their trustees, this new independent charity was set up to provide friendship, routine, meaningful activities, reassurance and much-needed respite for families and carers.

Now the people who had grown familiar with the Regent Street building are able to continue going. The staff have worked over and above to keep continuity.

You can find out more info on their website tocdaycare.co.uk. Isn’t it heartening to find a group of people so dedicated to care that they’ve pulled all the stops out to launch this new enterprise and strive to grow it for some of our most vulnerable people in town. Speaking as someone whose life has been touched by the ravages of dementia, I know that every bit of support received is so very valuable. I wish them well.

And now the football end has come. I have loved it, I now feel bereft. My throat is hoarse from shouting, telling Harry Kane how to shoot (we are all experts from the sofa, even us lot who can’t understand the offside rule).

The best match of the tournament though had to be the one last Saturday between England and France. A bronze medal is better than nothing. It’s actually no better than the silver, because people only remember the gold.

But I have to hand it to the lads, worra fantastic match. When France woke up it was anyway. Lovely Mbappe got his golden boot because of it. Jude Bellingham handed the ball to Saka hoping he’d get his hat-trick. Every mother watching hoped we wouldn’t have a repeat of the 2020 Euro final where he missed and we all wanted to reach into the TV set and give him a hug because the weight of that miss on him was terrible.

BUT he scored. And then our Jude went and slammed a perfect ball in the back of the net at the close. If football matches were fairytales...

Compare it to the actual final which was like watching paint dry. Messi, the only honourable Argy team member. The rest as dirty as pig muck. Thank god Spain were all over them. What a show of disgusting petulance and ungentlemanly behaviour (also the Falklands have never been yours mate!). But the best bit of the night was after the horrendous half-time ‘entertainment’.

'What did you think about that?’ Wayne Rooney was asked. ‘I thought it was crap’ he replied. He spoke for a whole nation. What fun. Already ticking down to the Euros...