Mary Reid

Although I do spend a lot of my time meeting with the local voluntary and public service organisations, we are all aware of the significance of the commercial sector. In the run-up to Christmas half a million people come shopping in Kingston every week - this is hugely important for the economic health of the borough.

So I was very pleased to be invited to meet the South West London team at the Royal Bank of Scotland/ NatWest. They were launching their new dedicated commercial service in Kingston and surrounding areas.  It was a good opportunity to network with business professionals from the borough.

You know that advert - 'My bank is now a trendy wine bar' - this time the reverse operated and the bank invited us to a trendy pub.