IT is shaping up to be a glorious and memorable summer. We’ve had the Lions winning the rugby, Andy Murray’s win at Wimbledon and the cricketers are marching on in what, until yesterday, had been a sweltering heatwave.

And of course it has all been topped off by the birth of our future monarch on Monday.

But today we report another story that really we should all be proud of as a throwback to the values that have traditionally bound this country together.

Villagers in Roke banded together to help catch two career criminals after spotting them acting suspiciously in a car.

Alex and Lorraine Crump challenged Simon Snuggs as he emerged from a house carrying his swag, before Colin Roberts ran off.

Nigel Hicks, Jane Ellingworth and Andrew Pomeroy then chased Snuggs down.

Of course you can’t be foolhardly when it comes to tackling criminals – the stabbing of Graham Buck in Hertfordshire this month when he went to the aid of a neighbour shows that.

But for the villagers in Roke there was strength in numbers and their actions were really the epitome of what we used to expect all our neighbourhoods to be like.

For varying reasons, many of our communities have become more fragmented. It’s a fact of life.

But hopefully today’s story shows that you can make a difference and you can look after your neighbours.

Indeed if your neighbours know you will help to look after them, they are far more likely to be ready to come to your aid.