One of the privileges of my job is meeting people who serve the needs of others in this constituency. Despite the cynicism of our age, I find the highest ideals of public service in many corners of our area, in those who put in tremendous effort to support and enhance their communities.

Some of them do so as representatives, arguing for and working for others, and we lost two of those this summer.

Rona Taylor and David Saul were the kind of people who everyone in their respective villages knew, but who deserve recognition beyond them. They died recently after many years of public service and I want to pay tribute to both of them.

Rona was a teacher by profession but was known to me, and to Burton Green, as a passionate advocate for that village in what have been very trying times.

Burton Green has a good claim on being the place most impacted by HS2 in the country, which you can add to the challenges facing a growing village on the borders of the city of Coventry.

Rona was a fierce defender of all that is special about Burton Green and was never defeated by its difficulties. The last time I saw her she was chairing a meeting to address the visual impact of HS2 works on the village and what could be done to ameliorate it.

She was as determined as ever to stand up for the people of Burton Green and they will miss her leadership of the village Residents Association. My deepest condolences go to her husband Archie, a strong voice for Burton Green himself.

In a similar way, the village of Cubbington will not be the same without David Saul.

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Together with his wife Theresa, who he sadly lost a few years ago, there have been very few aspects of Cubbington village life with which David has not been involved.

He was a parish councillor for more than 40 years and his warmth and enthusiasm made the village a better place and he always made the case for the village's interests with clarity, empathy and persistence, beyond the celebration of his 80th birthday.

Rona and David were examples of the good that representatives can do – blending tenacity and grit with civility and compassion.

It was a pleasure to know and to work with them both and I know their villages were much better places because of the contribution they made to them.

They never sought recognition for what they achieved, and are in my view all the more deserving of it for that.

They will be much missed and may they both rest in peace.