In his regular column for the Hereford Times, Hereford and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman looks forward to important milestones in 2021 for the county

This has been a year to forget, so let us forget it and look forward to 2021! Here are four great positive developments for the county next year.

2021 is the year in which NMITE will open its doors for the first time. The pioneer cohort of 50 learners will join in March 2021, with their first year fully funded, en route to a three-year Masters in Integrated Engineering awarded by the Open University.

The original NMITE Design Cohort were amazing, and helped build the courses. I have no doubt that the pioneers will go still further.

If you know a young person who could benefit from studying at NMITE, and make a difference themselves as a result, then please encourage them to register at www.nmite.ac.uk.

In June, the Knife Angel will be coming to Hereford Cathedral, after its visit was postponed this year. This stunning 3.5-ton sculpture of an angel is constructed out of 100,000 confiscated knives collected from 43 police forces across the UK.

It is a national monument standing against violence and aggression. If you loved the Weeping Poppies at the cathedral in 2018, as I did, I feel certain you will love this. As for me, I can't wait to see it.

Thanks to the work of local volunteers, the great Gilpin festival in Ross-on-Wye will also take place next year. It marks the 250th anniversary of William Gilpin’s historic visit to the Wye Valley, which created the idea of the "picturesque", and established the area’s reputation as the birthplace of British tourism.

With luck it will give a huge boost to tourism in Ross, and I hope I get the chance to help recreate the original Wye Tour, travelling through three counties and two countries.

And, as the weather brightens, the historic beauty of the Wye Valley will play a key part in the Shires National Park, an idea which I hope will take its first steps forward in 2021.

A new Shires Park could hugely assist tourism in Herefordshire, taking visitors from Symonds Yat to the Black Mountains, from the Malvern Hills to the Monnow Valley.

It would be a national destination, giving a great new brand to support Ross businesses.

It would potentially take in five counties, but at its centre is the natural bowl of Herefordshire and the Marches.

So: four fabulous things to look forward to in 2021. Happy New Year!