Mayor of Worcester Blog

Monday 21^st: Full Council meeting tomorrow evening so had my routine briefing session with Duncan Sharkey (Managing Director), Doreen Porter (Legal Advisor) and Claire Chaplin (Secretary). These meetings remain important to ensure (as far as possible!!) that we are all aware of any procedural technicalities.

The Worcester Twinning Association held its meeting this evening. Our next main event will be the visit of the Mayor of Kleve during this week beginning 28^th November.

Tuesday 22^nd: The Armed Forces Day plans are really “growing some legs”! Lt. Col. Gerry Taggert came to the parlour this morning to brief us on progress.

The sub-Committee, which I chaired, and set up to consider plans for marking the Centenary, in 2014, of the outbreak of the First World War, met in the Parlour. Numerous ideas were presented but we will still be requesting opinions from everyone. Of special interest are the memories and memorabilia from individuals.

We haven’t had a group photograph of the whole City Council (Councillors, Senior Officers, Sword Bearer and Mace Bearers) for seven years so one was arranged for this evening before Full Council.

I chaired a meeting of Full Council at 7pm. Never an easy task but prior briefings and preparation paid off. It was also sad to make the following two announcements:

Jane Poole was the wife of Frank Poole, Mayor of this City 1985 – 86. Jane died on Sunday 16^th. October. While they were Mayor and Mayoress they lunched with the Queen when she visited Worcester. As Mayoress Jane supported her husband admirably in his civic duties and was both well-known and well-liked. I never knew Jane but from what I have heard she was a wonderful lady.

Basil D’Oliveira died last Friday 19^th November. For many of us he was a cricketing hero. He scored just short of 20,000 runs for Worcestershire and took almost 550 wickets. And of course he contributed to the destruction of apartheid in South Africa.

Wednesday 23^rd: Jane and I set off for London mid-morning to stay overnight with our younger son, William, and his family. This was so that we could take up an invitation from our Member of Parliament, Robin Walker, MP, to dine with him and his wife, Charlotte, in the Strangers’ Dining Room at the House of Commons. A most enjoyable evening in surroundings with so much history.

Thursday 24^th: Back to Worcester without a hitch!

Friday 25^th: The photovoltaic solar panels are fitted to our roof and are working!! So now we generate electricity and pass much of it into the national grid.

Paul Griffith has done a huge amount for the voluntary sector in Worcester and for that he has received the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. This was presented to him in the Mayor’s Parlour this morning by The Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mrs. Angela Brinton on behalf of Michael Brinton the Lord Lieutenant. Well done Paul.

Left to Right: Deputy Lord Lieutenant Angela Brinton; Mayor of Worcester (me); Mayoress Jane Tibbutt, Paul Griffith MBE and his wife Anne Griffith.

The Nurses’ League Commemorative Window is in place in the Jenny Lind Chapel of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary and now the Worcester City Campus of the University. This window, designed by Nick Upton, a local artist, was paid for by the Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses’ League as a lasting memorial to all the nurses who worked in the former hospital. A huge effort had gone into the raising of £18,000. It was unveiled today by Henry Sandon, MBE. Jane and I arrived rather late but it was such a joy to meet many friends from the days when I worked at the Worcester Royal Infirmary.

Saturday 26^th: Our 45^th Wedding Anniversary so we took a day off!!

Sunday 27^th: Attended Matins at our own church in Whittington: the first time for a month!

“Whodunnitt” or “Murder Mystery” evenings are great fun. Tony Miller, Chairman of Wychavon District Council, held such a themed event at the Bridges Entertainment Venue. I must admit that I always “arrest” the wrong suspect so I would be useless as a detective! Nevertheless we had a good time and raised a significant amount of money for Tony’s charities “Cross Roads Care” and “Acorns Children’s Hospice”

Monday 14^th: Catching up day!

Tuesday 15^th: Tim Clark, Editor of the ”Worcester Standard”, and I had our regular “one to one” in the Parlour to chat about mayoral activities and the Worcester scene in general.

Later Cllr Simon Geraghty (Leader of the City Council) and Duncan Sharkey (Managing Director) came for their monthly “mayoral audience” to ensure that I am fully in the picture over a variety of issues.

The ‘Friends of the Museum of Worcester Porcelain’ have as their prime objective to support the Museum to fulfill its principal role as the world’s foremost place of reference for the industrial and social history of porcelain manufacture in the City of Worcester. The Friends are even more important since the closure of the Royal Worcester Company in 2009. This evening their AGM, Chaired by Sir Michael Perry, and Dinner were held surrounded by the wonderful porcelain exhibits. If anyone values what the Museum represents then there is no better way to show support than by becoming a member of the Friends. The magazine, ‘The Melting Pot’, will keep you in touch with developments and gain fresh insights into the personalities and stories associated with the 360 years of Worcester Porcelain activity.

Wednesday 16^th: The Trustees (the Mayor is a Trustee for his / her year of office) of The Dyson Perrins Museum Trust, which owns the Worcester Porcelain Museum, met in the museum. As with all organisations like this there are great challenges ahead. However the determination of the Trustees is clear regarding the importance of the Museum as internationally paramount. The Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Worcester porcelain dating back to 1751 and the Victorian gallery, the ceramic collections, archives and records of factory production, form the primary resource for the study of Worcester porcelain and its history.

Charles William Dyson Perrins (1864 – 1958) was born in Claines, Worcester, the son of James Dyson Perrins, the owner of the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Factory and who had also been a Director of Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory. Charles followed him, becoming a Director in 1891 and Chairman in 1901. In 1927, he purchased the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory’s historic ceramics collection and in 1946, he established the Perrins Trust to unite the factory museum collection and his own private holdings of Royal Worcester. His widow established the “Dyson Perrins Museum” at the factory site to house the collection. [Information from “Wikipedia”]

There is huge potential for sporting success in Worcestershire. Enthusiasm and achievements were celebrated at the Annual Sports Awards (Sports Partnership Herefordshire & Worcestershire) and dinner held at “Sixways” this evening in association with BBC Hereford & Worcester. The Sports Partnership is an alliance between the eight local authorities of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, NHS Herefordshire, NHS Worcestershire, Sport England, University of Worcester, national governing bodies of sport and other key organisations. By working together these organisations are committed to ensuring that everybody has an equal opportunity to partake and stay safe in sport.

Thursday 17^th: My two charities (Leukaemia Care and Worcester Farmers’ Overseas Action Group) and I met this morning to review our fund-raising activities. The next main one will be on Thursday 15^th December at the Guildhall when the Elgar Chorale, directed by Donald Hunt, will perform a concert. It should be a great evening….please come.

Two children, Raul Pena and Lia Silva from St. George’s CE School, helped me switch on the City’s Christmas Lights this evening in the presence of a huge crowd outside the Guildhall. A wonderful spectacle. Children, also from St. George’s, performed a drumming routine much to the delight of everyone. The Samba Santas and Howard Bentham from BBC Hereford and Worcester added to the occasion.

The Samba Santas entertaining the crowd outside the Guildhall gates

Thence we processed in civic robes and regalia to Crown Gate for the turning on of more Christmas lights. A fun evening and no rain!!

Christmas Lights 2011 on Worcester High Street

Friday 18^th: The Worcester Heart Support Group (WHSG) (see 1^st November 2011) with Donna Stokes of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) met informally with me in the Parlour. We discussed the BHF idea of “Heart Cities” the aim being to increase the awareness of heart disease (especially coronary artery heart disease) and promote the treatment, rehabilitation and research. We were all excited about the possibilities and decided to explore the issues further.

Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust (see 12^th October 2011) is a registered charity, offering a network of care and support to life-limited and life-threatened children and their families across the heart of England. Acorns has three hospices, situated in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester as well as a Community Team that offer support to families in their homes. Jane and I were invited to visit the Worcester Hospice in the Bath Road and to discuss the work with the Head of Care, Peter Morris. I thought I knew of most of the services provided but I learnt much more this afternoon.

“Oh! What a Night! And it was! A real “feel-good feast of song, dance and comedy” presented this evening by the Worcester Musical Theatre Company in the Swan Theatre and to support the Royal British Legion. All the performers were magnificent and especially the Claines CE Primary School Drummers. If you are interested in the WMTC then contact Cath Skyrme on membership@worcestermusicaltheatre.co.uk. and see their web site www.worcestermusicaltheatre.co.uk.

Saturday 19^th: “The Dream of Gerontius” was composed by Sir Edward Elgar in 1900 and based on the text of the poem by John Henry Newman. It portrays the journey of a man’s soul from his dying, to God’s judgment and thence into Purgatory. It is Elgar’s finest choral work. The Worcester Festival Choral Society with the Chameleon Arts Orchestra and conductor Adrian Lucas performed magnificently in the Cathedral. The packed audience was enthralled. What a privilege and joy to be there!

Sunday 20^th: It is very fitting at this time that we should honour ALL who have died as a consequence of conflict and war. So this morning, with the Royal British Legion we held a Service, conducted by Rev. Canon Paul Tongue, in Astwood Cemetery to remember those buried in the cemetery including a number of prisoners of war (Germans and Italians). We placed small wooden crosses beside each grave and wreaths at the war memorial.

 

 

Monday 7^th: Preparing for official Civic events, especially services at the Cathedral, is important. There are so many things to think about, when to arrive, when to go in and out, when to stand, when to be involved with a particular part of the procedure, who to stand next to and on which side….. So the run through this afternoon was especially useful for this coming Remembrance Sunday.

We all know Henry Sandon, MBE, from his expertise on Royal Worcester porcelain and the television programme “The Antiques Road Show”. But how many of us were aware that he is a very knowledgeable music enthusiast too? This was revealed when he featured in a recording for BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions. Jane and I were among the invited audience in the Worcester Porcelain Museum to hear Henry being interviewed about his musical life and his favourite musical pieces: among these were Tomkins, Purcell, Bach, Elgar and Noel Coward. A most enjoyable evening. The recording will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 4^th. December.

 

Tuesday 8^th: Dr. Donald Hunt and I put the finishing touches to the arrangements for the “We Will Remember Them”  concert in the Guildhall on Friday. Donald has worked very hard on this…brilliant!

Wednesday 9^th: I have always enjoyed gardening and seeing plants grow so it was a particular pleasure to attend the Worcester Allotment Forum Presentation Evening in the Guildhall. There are almost 1,000 allotment holders in Worcester looking after their plots with great pride. The winners of the best kept plots were presented with their certificates, medals and cups. Growing your own is becoming more and more important and popular especially for health and the economy and this is reflected by the 152 people who are on the waiting list for a plot. By the way do you know the definition of a cabbage? It is a familiar garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head. But what about a cauliflower? That  is a cabbage with a college education.

Thursday 10^th: Lauren Billington and friends from “Leukaemia Care” came for a cream tea and cakes (made by Jane) in the parlour. This charity continues to work hard to raise funds for the crucial service it provides. I am so glad that I chose them as one of the Mayor’s charities.

Helen and Hursty, of the Wyvern Breakfast Show, hosted the “Wyvern Local Hero Awards” for Herefordshire and Worcestershire this evening at Alexander Park, Pixley, Ledbury. Sixteen awards were presented and I had the privilege of presenting the one for the “Unsung Wyvern Hero” to Jayne Moran who had been nominated by her daughter Claire.

Friday 11^th: Remembrance Day: the Royal British Legion and a large crowd gathered in front of the War Memorial beside the Cathedral. The Rev. Canon Paul Tongue conducted a short Service of Remembrance during which Allan Poyner of the Legion and I, on behalf of the City, each laid a wreath. The silence was tangible and moving as the Cathedral bell struck at 11am.

The “We Will Remember Them” concert in the Assembly Room of the Guildhall marking the 90^th Anniversary of The Royal British Legion was superb. The packed audience was treated to a programme of words and music by Hubert Parry, Siegfried Sassoon, Ivor Novello, Rudyard Kipling, Glen Miller, G.A.Studdert-Kennedy and many others. The tapestry of the whole had been skilfully designed by Dr. Donald Hunt, Director of The Elgar Chorale. The Choir, soloists (Sophie McLellan and Keith Bridges), readers (Gabrielle Bullock, Peter Rogers, Tim Watson and David Wright) and the trumpeter (John Swindells) were magnificent. I hope this whets everyone’s appetite to attend more concerts by the Chorale and especially the Mayor’s Charity Concert in the Guildhall on Thursday 15^th December. Tickets (£8.00) available from the Elgar Chorale 01684 594570 or Worcester Tourist Information centre 01905 726311.

Saturday 12^th: “Serenity Courage Wisdom” was the title for this evening’s concert of music and readings for remembrance held in the Cathedral and performed by the Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir. The Conductor was Stephen Shellard with Ian Ball at the organ and Gabrielle Bullock the reader. Another most enjoyable evening. The pieces included works by David Briggs, Gabriel Faure and poems by Wilfred Owen.

Sunday 13^th: Remembrance Sunday: a procession from the Guildhall to the Cathedral for the Service and thence a War Memorial Wreath-Laying Ceremony. As always a most moving occasion.

The crowds in Cathedral square and back to the Guildhall for the march past were enormous: I have never seen so many people and others commented similarly. It was very encouraging to see the numbers of children and young people. I took the salute with the Senior Deputy Lord Lieutenant.

For almost 30 years it has been the tradition to lay wreaths on the grave of Rev. Studdert-Kennedy’s (“Woodbine Willie”) grave in St. John’s Cemetery. The Rev. Canon Paul Tongue conducted the short service of remembrance and Allan Poyner representing the Royal British Legion and I laid the wreaths.

Rev. Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, MC (1883 – 1929), was an Anglican priest and poet. The nickname, ‘Woodbine Willie’, was given to him during the First World War because of his giving “Woodbine” cigarettes, with spiritual aid, to injured and dying soldiers.

In 1914 he became the vicar of St. Pauls, Worcester. When war was declared he volunteered to go to the Western Front as Army chaplain. In 1917, he won the Military Cross at Messines Ridge after running into no man’s land to help the wounded. He wrote a number of poems which are heart-rending especially “Waste”:

Waste of muscle, waste of brain
Waste of patience, waste of pain
Waste of manhood, waste of health
Waste of beauty, waste of wealth
Waste of blood and waste of tears
Waste of youth’s most precious years
Waste of ways the Saints have trod
Waste of glory · Waste of God
War!

Monday 31^st: Other mayoral engagements prevented my being there on Saturday 29^th October for the official opening of the completed Riverside work. I remember, when I had the “Urban Renaissance” City Council Cabinet portfolio, how much hard work was done by Richard Hopkins and others to get the lighting right. A great job!

Obesity is a major and increasing health hazard that we cannot ignore. It is a leading cause of death worldwide. Obesity is stigmatized particularly in Western society but was widely perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in some parts of the world. Jane and I were pleased to be invited to observe a meeting of “Weight Watchers”, held in the Lyppard Grange Community Centre. I was impressed by the enthusiasm of Debbie Bowyer and her team who were helping their members to achieve very significant weight loss. It was clearly making so much difference to their wellbeing and self esteem.

As Mayor, I am an honorary member of the Worcester Rotary Club. It normally meets on a Monday lunchtime but today we met for an evening dinner meeting in the Worcestershire County Cricket Club. And a most pleasant time it was too. The speaker was Leigh Robinson of the ATBRUSAR (All Terrain Bike Responder Unit Search And Rescue). He explained that this was a charity based in Worcestershire offering support to the emergency services through their trained teams of searchers, rescue technicians, and mountain bike and cycle ambulance personnel. They operate in Worcester City Centre and the wider county of Worcestershire, including the Malvern Hills. It was clear that they provide a valuable and highly cost effective service. See the website:www.atbrusar.org

Tuesday 1^st: The Worcester Heart Support Group (WHSG) was formed in 1994 with nine members and now has over 200. They are affiliated to the British Heart Foundation. Trevor Cooper (Chairman) and his members provide a crucial service especially to people who are recovering from heart attacks (also called coronary thrombosis or myocardial infarction). Today I was involved with the handover of a Vital Signs Monitor to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital. This gift from the WHSG is a valuable contribution to the Phase 3 exercise classes supervised in the McClelland Centre. This is based in the converted outpatients department of the old Castle Street Worcester Royal Infirmary which now forms the City Campus of the University. This is another example of the cooperation between the University and our hospital.

Four days of University of Worcester Award Ceremonies began today. After lunch in the St. John’s campus I lead a colourful academic procession from the Guildhall to the Cathedral. During today’s ceremony Professor Fay Weldon CBE was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters: she is currently Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University in London.

Wednesday 2^nd: China is the most populous country in the world at over 1.3 billion (that is 1,300,000,000).  It covers about 3.7 million square miles. According to the International Monetary Fund China’s annual average GDP growth between 2001 and 2010 was 10.5% and the economy is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 9.5% between 2011 and 2015. Between 2007 and 2011, China’s economic growth rate was equivalent to all of the G7 countries’ growth combined. We cannot ignore these facts which were brought home to us at an “Opportunity China” conference this evening held at The King’s School and to which Jane and I were invited. It was organized by the Worcestershire Chinese Association and Worcestershire Ambassadors. Mr. Zhao Lei (First Secretary, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China) gave the opening address. The opportunities for businesses in China are enormous but to take full advantage the ability to speak Mandarin Chinese is vital. The problem is that we have not yet realized that Mandarin is so important in the teaching of our young students. I challenge all of our education institutions to address this. There are inexpensive online courses available, to get you started, such as that from “link-global.com”.

Beijing

Thursday 3^rd: The “Last Choir Standing” Corporate Event was held in the Malvern Theatres this evening. Fantastic and great fun. It was organised by Lauren Billington of “Leukaemia Care” with joint sponsorship from “Postcode Anywhere” and “English Mutual”. There were seven choirs competing and the judges were the musicians John Malcolm Goldring and Russell Painter. Dave Bradley was just right as an amusing Master of Ceremonies: he lists his “main hobbies as watching sport and sleeping, often at the same time…” Much needed money was raised for “Leukaemia Care”.

Friday 4^th: The last of seven University of Worcester Award Ceremonies was held in the Cathedral this afternoon. As before the procession from the Guildhall was impressive. Professor Emeritus Judith Elkins was awarded a University Fellowship: she had been Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of Children’s Literature 2003 – 2009. Dennis Mortimer, one of Aston Villa’s greatest ever football players, was awarded an honorary degree. As we were leaving the Cathedral the rain came down and Frank Southam, my sword bearer, had to remove the ostrich feathers from his Cap of Maintenance!!

Two recent graduates, Faye Boyle and Ruth Johnson at the Graduation Ceremony on Friday

Saturday 5^th: The place to be this evening was Pitchcroft Racecourse. Thousands of all ages turned up to see the bonfire and firework display. Dr Greg Jones, Worcester Round Table Chairman, and his team, have worked incredibly hard to organise this amazing spectacle and raise funds for good causes. The bonfire was huge: I have always wanted to light such a conflagration and now I had my opportunity!  Wow!

I lit it!

Fantastic fireworks at Pitchcroft!

Sunday 6^th: Day of rest.

Don’t forget the “We Will Remember Them” concert in the Guildhall on Friday 11^th. November at 7.30pm. There will be words and music marking the 90^th Anniversary of the Royal British Legion. Admission is FREE and tickets by application to the Tourist Information Office: 01905 726311 or the Administrator, The Elgar Chorale: 01684 594570.