Welcome to the British Consulate's website and the Consul-General's corner.

Over recent months, there has been a lot in the news about the UK and US economies and little to take heart from. It is important, however, not to talk ourselves down; there is plenty of encouraging news too. I was delighted to see reported that UK manufacturing output rebounded more in September than economists had anticipated and factory output rose 1.7 percent, the biggest gain in seven years - important improvements given that the UK is the sixth largest manufacturer in the world, representing nearly a fifth of UK GDP.

Yes, companies continue to face difficulties. Equally, though, I remain confident, given the immense amount of commercial activity taking place between them, that the US and the UK will pull through successfully. Last year alone, US companies made 621 separate investments into the UK, generating 12,888 jobs; the UK is the largest investor in the US, a staggering 400 times bigger than China. The UK and US business communities are intimately connected, sharing one of the largest and most complex trade and investment relationships in the world. It is these connections and the strenths of the many sectors that best serve our interests as we come out of the downturn.

In other positive news, October 31 marked 1,000 days until the start of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. For six weeks in the summer of 2012, the eyes of the world will be on London as it has the honour of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Games are a sporting and cultural event on a unique scale, but they are a lot more than that. They are an opportunity to show off the best that a nation can offer. In the UK, we hope that our innovativeness, welcoming spirit and the strength of our business community will come shining through.

We are going to great lengths to ensure that any benefits extend beyond sport to wider opportunities, including increasing skills, attracting investment, encouraging export and promoting sustainability, both in London and the rest of the UK. Already, fantastic work on the Olympic Park has been taking place to ensure that it will set new standards in sustainability. The Games will create thousands of new opportunities that companies can win. It is estimated that approximately 75,000 business opportunities will be created further down the supply chain. That will certainly help many companies to move forward.

As we get closer and closer to July 27, 2012, please check back on our website and visit the London 2012 site. Whether as a spectator, athlete or business, I hope that everyone will catch the Olympic spirit!