Mayor of Worcester Blog

He runs, he swims, he even cycles – yes this week’s challenge was dodging cars with the Bike Bus up to Worcester North Primary School. A great initiative spreading across the city to encourage safe cycling from an early age, and raising awareness amongst rush-hour drivers.

I then put my underpants over my tights and flew up London Road to unveil the new defibrillator at the Royal Life Saving Society. A seriously important device that can save lives in an emergency. Like the one at the Guildhall it is on The Circuit public network.

We visited the premises in Ronkswood for the New Horizons project which has grown out of the experience and success of New Hope for children with disabilities. It is aimed at people who would have benefitted from New Hope but who are older and have no real place for them – a common theme for anyone having left education it seems.

Maybe culture and sport can be part of that answer. Certainly that’s the view at Christopher Whitehead where we were welcomed to the opening of the new Performing Arts Centre, and entertained by students’ performances. Or the University Wheelchair Basketball Team who have bucked the local trend in sport by winning the British University Championship.

I was pleased to be the MP’s guest for a tour round the Palace of Westminster, and even managed to feature on House of Commons TV at the back of a committee room!

Finally we were guests of the Mayor of Stourport for his charity event, raising funds for the Kemp Hospice and Leapgate Activity Centre in the Wyre Forest.

It was held at the Yacht Club in the Stourport Basin, a really interesting and historic part of the town. There were a few good initiatives there I think we could pinch for Diglis.

 

 

Well he’s over halfway, he’s weaving dangerously, dribbling, and the white line is in sight. Yes, 35 pubs down, a few more to go.

The 60 @ 60 challenge is about raising awareness of local community pubs. Their costs are soaring exponentially in the cost of living crisis and since we have less money to spend, we are spending less in places like the Local. But a good pub can be at the heart of a community. Some days it may be the only social interaction for someone living alone. It does encourage a healthy mind and body – a walk, skittles and darts, quizzes, conversation, community trips and fund raising for local charities.

And in a place like Worcester they are also key elements of our visitor economy. Publicans and their staff are our ambassadors for the city, its culture, its heritage, its buzz. The hospitality trade is crucial also for employment opportunities across the city. Many use local labour, local food for their menus, local transport.

The Ale Trail Team is growing every outing, and we pay our way. We’ve been to the oldest pubs and some of the newest, the biggest and the smallest. Practically always met with a warm welcome. Lots of support for mayoral charities  OnSide and Severn Arts (thanks for the bottle for the raffle Jim). See; justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mayorofworcesteruk.

And I’ve met Bob Backenforth.

And yes, some are really suffering. Since we planned the Trail at least one has closed, and several changed hands or publican. Opening hours are getting shorter, food not always on, and less ale kept due to the uncertainty of demand. But also many are adapting, as they need to in order to remain relevant and a venue of choice. So, cheers to the final 25 – I’m on the way!

 

Music, dance, theatre and a little friendly extortion of guests was the order of the day at the Mayor’s Charity Evening. Mack the Knife prowled in the background while young people from the VIth Form, the Jazz Orchestra and Academy Theatre Arts entertained us. Food was from the Mix café and proceeds raised through the generosity of guests in the raffle and auction all go to OnSide and Severn Arts. My thanks to all for a successfully fun night.

I was pleased to visit one of those guests at work at ASPIE the self-help group for people with Asperger’s Syndrome. Another voluntary group run on a shoestring, supported by my predecessor Stephen of course.

Having experienced the effects of dementia in my own family I was pleased to don the Speedos for a length or two getting in the way of Lee Thomas’ marathon 24hour swim at Perdiswell Leisure centre. May entice me to get back into it after mayoring is done.

That family connection was continued when I welcomed visitors from Preston to the Parlour with a copy of Lancashire Life in hand!

Another visit was from a family who had identified their ancestor on the Memorial Boards in the Guildhall but whose name was not marked with a cross, signifying he was killed. After some investigation this has been rectified and its history confirmed in writing. And after our Belgian trip to those Great War fields of mud, how thrilling to see locally grown sculptor John McKenna’s ‘Sentry’ unveiled by the Princess Royal at Norton this week. Tribute goes to the Norton Worcestershire Regiment group finally achieving this royal recognition.

Lastly, connections with an earlier war, but still close to home, when we remembered Richard Shaw of the Battle of Worcester Society at a service in the Cathedral.

 

 

 

While you read last week’s blog I was waking up after an exhilarating and humbling day in Belgium. Along with around 20 Worcestershire people, including the Ambassadors and Regimental veterans, we finally unveiled a new memorial to the Worcestershire Regiment in the First World War. We had a guard of serving soldiers from 1 Mercian, standards, pipes and bugles, and local aldermen from Zonnebeke including Burgemeester (Mayor) Ingrid Vandepitte.

The memorial is in the village of Gheluveld (ask me later how really to pronounce it!), the scene of the famous defence by the Worcesters in October 1914.

The same evening three of us were honoured to lay wreaths at the Last Post ceremony held daily since 1922 in the Menin Gate, Iper. Lt. Col Mark Jackson laid one, and read the exhortation ‘They shall grow not old…’, while the other wreathbearer was Russ Walker, whose great grandfather actually fought in the battle.

The rest of the weekend was spent looking round cemeteries, museums and a brewery. Well, it is Belgium!

I was at the Worcester 6 business park for the launch of a new HQ for ZwickRoell, a German machines-testing company, where the owner recounted that he had a pilot’s licence. His father had also been a pilot. In the last war. It’s amazing and poignant that we have come so far in just two generations.

I teamed up with the Ambassadors again for a Question Time session on the current state of Worcestershire. We covered cost of living, mental health, foodbanks, and quality of life, all intrinsic elements to a healthy business economy.

Lastly, the Declaration of the new High Sheriff, Louise Hewett at Worcester’s Shirehall. This is an annual appointment. Interestingly the role is not only High Sheriff of the county, but also of the City and County of Worcester.