Mayor of Worcester

This week I have been celebrating some of the things that make Worcester the city we all love.

I have seen this in the stories of those who came before us and from some of our enthusiastic young people who are still writing their futures.

I had the pleasure of celebrating the active travel achievements of some of our primary schools.

Many schools have worked hard, alongside parents and governors to get their pupils walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting to school.

As a former teacher, I am always excited to see young people taking an active role in improving their communities.

Walking or cycling to school is a fantastic way to start the day, helping children feel energised, confident and ready to learn. It also means fewer cars on our roads, reducing pollution and making the streets around our schools safer for everyone.

These may seem like small changes, but collectively they can have an enormous impact on our city and on our young people.

I also had a fascinating behind the scenes tour of the Museum of Royal Worcester.

The museum houses an extraordinary collection of porcelain, showcasing the craftsmanship and creativity that made Worcester famous around the world.

However, I was particularly captivated by what was hidden away in the archives.

We explored historical documents, including the original timesheets of factory employees.

It was remarkable to see these records and think about the thousands of ordinary people whose skills and dedication helped build our city.

Every name, every piece of pottery, represented a real person, with their own ambitions, struggles and experiences.

So many of these people’s stories no longer remain but they are just as much a part of our city’s heritage as the intricate porcelain on display.

Thank you to the museum team for such an insightful visit.

Finally, I visited Oasis Hub in Warndon.

From youth work and environmental projects to toddler groups, family learning, holiday activities and adult education, there is something for almost everyone.

My theme for this mayoral year is community and Oasis Hub is an excellent example of what that means in practice.

Spaces like this offer far more than activities. They create friendships, build confidence and ensure people have somewhere to turn when they need support.

Thank you to everyone at Oasis Hub for your dedication. It is often the determination and generosity of people working quietly behind the scenes that makes the greatest difference to our communities.

I think Autumn is my favourite season. The darker evenings, the colourful leaves and one of my favourite events: Halloween.

That’s why I was so pleased to see that Worcester City Pride was holding an October “spooky” event this year.

Both me and Alaric (the Mayor’s Consort) had so much fun dressing up and taking part.

Thank you so much to the whole team and all the volunteers for inviting us along to the event.

We very much enjoyed giving a speech about the importance of celebrating the achievements of LGBT+ members of society and we enjoyed visiting all the stalls.

The Worcester Cathedral team have played a huge part in many events this week, starting with Prison’s Sunday.

Prison’s Sunday marks the start of Prison’s Week which aims to encourage prayer, and awareness of the needs of prisoners and their families, victims of offenders, prison staff and all those who work within the justice system.

To mark this, Revd Hugh Nelson, Bishop of Worcester, hosted a talk from Revd Jonathan Aitken.

Aitken spoke about his journey through the prison system to becoming a priest working with prisoners.

He also explored how the prison system could be improved to make justice more efficient, fair and effective.

Both Alaric and I found the talk absolutely fascinating and we would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who helped organise it.

On a similar theme, the Shrievalty Service took place at Worcester Cathedral this weekend.

This is an annual service held to give thanks and to recognise the year of office of the county’s High Sheriff.

The sermon and readings explored difficult themes of mercy, forgiveness and justice, concepts that our judges have to manage every day.

I feel honoured to have been invited to celebrate the Shrievalty Service with the High Sheriff, Maynard Burton and so many brilliant judges.

I attended my second service of the week on Tuesday and enjoyed the “long time no see” jokes with the Cathedral team.

This time we celebrated 10 years of the Worcestershire Breast Unit Haven Service. This is a fantastic and unique centre we have in Worcester which offers separate and calming services for people being screened or treated for breast cancer.

We are so lucky to have this resource within our community and I commend all of the work their staff do.

The service, given by the wonderful Reverend Canon Claire Lording, was about hope and love; love that fights cancer and supports loved ones.

After the sermon, I couldn’t stop laughing at the Sister Act piece performed by the nursing team and Worcester Operatic & Dramatic Society (WODS).

Thank you to everyone at the Unit for all the work you do and for a lovely evening.

Last week I enjoyed handing out the medals for the Summer Reading Challenge at The Hive.

I think many adults would struggle to say they have read six books over the summer, making it an even more brilliant achievement for the children.

I spoke to many young people about what they had read; stories about fairies, monsters and trucks.

We spoke about whether they had found characters they could relate to in the book, who reminded them of themselves or a friend.

It was so brilliant to see so many young people passionate about literature and developing skills that will last with them long into the future.

I got to see more young people throughout the week this week, as I went back to visit my primary school, Pitmaston.

It was so lovely to have a tour of the school from their Year 6 Head Pupils and the Student Eco Team, who picked litter as we went.

So much has changed since I left there 15 years ago and yet so much is the same. There were even a few teachers who are still there. As I walked into each classroom, I kept thinking “I remember this room being much bigger”.

It is very important that young people are presented with examples of adults working in many different fields and are allowed to ask questions.

If I had not been presented with the opportunity to do so when I was at school, it is very unlikely I would be in the career I am in now.

The Year 5s had some really brilliant questions about what it is like to be a local politician and Mayor of Worcester.

Some of the best parts of this year have been working with young people because they are so optimistic and curious.

This year marks 80 years since the University of Worcester began.

Originally, an emergency teaching college, which was set up after the Second World War, it has continued to grow, adapt and benefit Worcester’s community.

To mark the occasion, the university created an “Inspired for Life” exhibit which launched at The Hive this week.

It was amazing to see how the buildings, people and fashion have changed over the years but their ambition stays the same. I hope many more generations benefit from this integral part of city life.

Another integral part of city life is the Dines Green community, which I got to celebrate on Saturday at Dinesfest.

This brilliant mini-festival brought together so many volunteers and creatives from the area.

This is the third year it has been held at Honeywell Primary School and we had a brilliant time.

Thank you to everyone whose hard work throughout the year made it happen.