The Frome MP David Warburton writes:

Frome's creative, artistic, and artisanal soul is one of the things that makes the town so unique, and in my last column I lauded the return of community events, large and small. These events bring people together, but they also highlight the very best that Frome has to offer.

In this vein, I was incredibly glad about last week's announcement of a Government-backed insurance scheme for live events worth over £750 million, which I have spent months campaigning for. This initiative will help get our town, and specifically venues like the Cheese and Grain back on their feet. I'm acutely aware of how challenging this pandemic has been those who make a living from live events – and many have been forced to cancel shows, because the risk of having them thwarted by future coronavirus spikes is too great a financial risk. Now, the show can go on.

In June, I tabled a motion in Parliament signed by 27 other MPs from various political parties, specifically calling for the establishment a Government-backed insurance scheme to pave the way for live music events to proceed. I also had a private meeting with the Chancellor to discuss insurance for festivals and live events.

Our excellent music and live events sector is not only vital to Frome, but also a national asset that's essential to our broader economic recovery, with the music industry alone contributing £5.8 billion a year to our pre-COVID-19 economy.

Speaking of social events, there's been a lot of speculation recently about the role of vaccine passports as we emerge from this pandemic. I should make it very clear that I do not believe that vaccine passports offer either the safest or most appropriate way forward when it comes to admittance to nightclubs or any other social settings. Equality under the law is an indivisible principle which underpins our way of life – and any attempt to apportion the freedoms which we all (rightly) take for granted according to the receipt of a vaccination sets, I believe, a dangerous precedent.

The success of the vaccine rollout brings the prospect of a return to normality, the re-opening of the economy and the chance for all of us to regain the liberties which we've temporarily relinquished. I certainly don't think we should see the right to resume our domestic, individual freedoms as contingent on the basis of receiving a vaccination.

Of course, one event we've all enjoyed over the past couple of weeks, albeit from the comfort of our living rooms, has been the Tokyo Olympics. I'm incredibly proud that Emily Diamond from Frome, along with her fellow Team GB athletes, placed 5th in the 4x400m relay. A fantastic result, which complements the spectacular haul of 65 Olympic medals by British athletes.

You can follow what I'm up to both in Westminster and Somerset at www.davidwarburton.org.uk/news.