Tonight was a hugely important moment for our community because the Coptic Pope, Pope Tawadros II, came to Hove on his first visit to the UK. He came to spend time in the Coptic Orthodox Church in Davigdor Road.

The Coptic community are a key part of the fabric of life here. From worshiping in Hove to running local businesses, many are also some of Brighton and Hove’s finest taxi drivers. So it was a real honour to be able to celebrate alongside them tonight as the pope visited.

The congregation was totally ecstatic when the pope entered the church. The sheer delight his presence brought was undeniable. For me the highlight was hearing a choir of children sing their absolute hearts out. They sang a hymn in Coptic that they had been practicing for two months and all that practice really paid off.

The pope kindly presented me with a commemorative medallion of his visit which now sits pride of place in my lounge right by me as I type this. I hope your week got off to a similarly eventful start!