More beautiful rain as I write this on Tuesday, and pleasing to see it extending further west as those areas have been crying out for rain.

I'm just going to take a moment to remind people to slow down and be extra cautious when the roads are wet. Last week, my wife and children were driving home and had slowed down to turn right off a local street when a young driver hit them from behind. The car has been written off, but thankfully, no one was injured in the accident. It would not have taken much to have been a lot worse.

The Orange Salvation Army are asking people to give generously to this year's Red Shield Appeal as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis continues to hit households hard. Unfortunately, our local Salvos had to cancel their big fundraising appeal dinner earlier this month, so they really need a little extra money to continue their various local support services. All the money raised stays right here in Orange, so look out for volunteer collectors who will be manning stalls and knocking on doors this weekend.

Another way you can help locals in need is to donate food and other goods to FoodCare Orange's winter appeal. FoodCare is still seeing a growing need for their service and is asking the community to donate what they can to help people from going hungry here in Orange. You can find out more about how you can help, along with a list of useful items to donate, inside this week's edition.

Until next week!