With an outstanding 29 gold medals and 65 in total, we truly have seen the most incredible Olympics Games in living memory. Team GB's success has many components - organisation, funding, coaching and so on - but it is the quality and dedication of our athletes that is most impressive. Medal winners or not, they are a credit to our country.

As a result, Great Britain has won more gold medals in different sports than the majority of competing counties. Ending one of the most exhilarating two weeks the UK has ever seen third in the overall medal table just shows that the investment in expanding the breadth of sports available and work to encourage people to get involved is paying off.

While in the main the sports that placed Britain fourth in the medals table in Beijing have seen success again in London, a number of new disciplines have joined them and I hope that in Rio 2016, we shall see medal winning athletes in an even broader range of sports. To help make that possible, the government will be maintaining the funding for elite sports that allows some of our top athletes to dedicate themselves full time to their sport and enjoy the highest quality support.

These Olympics have also seen fantastic success for Scots as part of Team GB. I was privileged to see Sir Chris Hoy becoming the greatest Olympian of all time with his sixth gold medal in the veledrome. The whole of Scotland was delighted here him say that he would like to finish his career by competing in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. The success of those games will be a key part of the legacy of Britain's brilliant Olympics. Many Scots were also among the 70,000 volunteers whose enormous contribution and cheerful attitude made the Games such a success.

One of the key objectives of the Games was to 'inspire a generation' - to take part in sport and to realise their dreams and I am sure that the outstanding results we have seen in the last two weeks will do just that. These games aren't just about inspiring the next generation of professional athletes but about getting people at every level engaged in and excited about sport.

I am now hugely looking forward to the Paralympic Games which begin on the 29th August and I am sure that the UK will show the same support for our Paralympic athletes as they have shown over the past two weeks. I wish all of the athletes who are taking part in the upcoming games the best of luck and look forward to watching the spectacle along with millions of others.

Grantown Show

I had an immensely enjoyable day last Thursday whilst attending Grantown Show. Not only was the weather good - in contrast to recent years - but it also saw what was by common consent the best display of livestock we have seen in recent years at the event.

As was the case at the Nairn show a fortnight earlier, crowds and exhibitors came from far and wide to attend the event. The show this year was particularly special for me this year, as I was invited to be the 'guest of honour.' This included the invidious responsibility of judging the 'champion of champions' from the livestock entry. Luckily I had expert advice help from local vet Andrew Rafferty, who kept me right on the finer points! In due course, a impressive Charolais heifer from near Inverness was chosen.

Like the Olympics, our summer Shows and Highland Games depend utterly on the unsung efforts of dedicated local people. Unlike the Olympics, these local heroes do it every year and the lives of our communities are enriched as a result.

As your local MP, I am here to help so if you have an issue you would like to discuss, please come along to one of my regular local surgeries or drop me an email at [email protected]. I will always do my best to be of assistance.

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