Mayor of Worcester Blog

Last week I visited New College Worcester (NCW). The school has a mixture of boarders and day pupils who are either blind or visually impaired. There is a strong emphasis not only on academic studies but also getting the students ready for independent living for when they eventually leave school.

The college is in Battenhall ward, an area I’ve been fortunate enough to represent since 2016 and I’ve visited the college several times over the years and have always come away having learnt something new or with a challenge to my world view. It’s sometimes unsettling to be confronted with our own preconceptions and biases.

Writing this blog made me think back to the very first time I visited the college – it would have been about 1981 when as a young teenager I joined the school chess club and our school played against New College Worcester. I was about to get a reality check – right in the teeth. I thought I was quite good at chess – how could I lose against someone who couldn’t ‘see’ the board? Needless to say, I was thrashed and, quite rightfully, given an early lesson to a) never underestimate my opponent and b) check those unconscious biases on what others can do.

On this visit to NCW I learnt about the difference between basic and advanced braille. Level 1 braille spells out every letter but level 2 is much faster to read as whole words are put into a single piece of the code. There is a strong art department working on 3D modelling and textured collages.

This week I’ve also had the pleasure of listening to one of NCW’s very talented musicians. Thank you, Izzy, for joining me at the Guildhall for a tea, cake and piano/singing event for Age UK guests. Izzy can’t read music so learns each piece by heart. Izzy: You were amazing.

 

Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities.

The day itself takes place on the first Saturday in December each year and I’ll be supporting several lovely local businesses this Saturday.

Local small businesses employ thousands of local people. A pound spent at a local business is far more likely to remain circulating in our local economy than a pound spent with a larger national business or a faraway business operating over the internet.

Small businesses that operate from the high street are really important and need our support. High street shops with their high business rates and fixed costs often find it difficult to compete with internet providers so have already adapted enormously.

City centre businesses are increasingly offering more niche products or experiences and services you can’t really get from the internet. Yes, that means quite a lot of coffee and charity shops – all doing good service. But there are lots of novel and innovation businesses springing up too. Two I’ve recently visited were Axe Junkies in The Arches where you can throw axes on to a board in safe environment, and also The Dice Box on the Shambles which is essentially a café where you can play board games either with friends or just rock up to play with ‘friends you’ve not yet met’. Maybe The Dice Box is of use for parents and grandparents looking for something to occupy the kids in a holiday?

And whilst talking about experiences, please permit me a shameless plug for the Mayor’s Charity Carol Concert performed by The Elgar Chorale on Wednesday 13 December. An amazing choir, Christmas carols, a glass of wine, mince pies, a little poetry and audience participation all in aid of Age UK. Tickets from Tourist Information or book tickets online at www.eventbrite.co.uk – search for Mayor’s Christmas charity concert.

 

I was invited to speak at the White Ribbon Campaign launch hosted by Worcester Community Trust (WCT). The White Ribbon Campaign calls for an end to violence and abuse of women and girls at the hands of men.

WCT do some amazing work supporting women and girls. It’s great work that they do – but wouldn’t it be better if we were able to stamp out these behaviours in the first place?

Culture change doesn’t happen overnight, but we could end male violence against women and girls in our lifetimes. There is perhaps no better way to break the cycle of male violence to women than by focusing on engaging with children and young people about healthy relationships, positive masculinity and behaviours.

Violence and abuse experienced by women and girls takes many forms. Some behaviours and words may seem ‘harmless’ but normalising them ignores the short- and long-term effects on women and girls and can lead to more extreme violence and abuse later down the line.

Domestic abuse and violence is often unseen, but in England and Wales, on average, two women a week are murdered by a partner, ex-partner or family member and research shows that last year 1.7 million women in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse.

Men: Here’s the nub. Violence against women and girls is not a ‘women’s issue’ but it’s often portrayed as one. This is due to the way women have long been responsible for navigating threats to their own safety. The first step to change the story, is to understand that women and girls consistently live with a fear of violence that men do not experience in the same way.

A second step is for us men to take an active role in stopping violence before it starts by recognising and calling out attitudes and behaviours that are harmful and that could well, in the course of time, lead to more extreme forms of abuse and violence.

I’ve signed the White Ribbon pledge to call out sexism when I see it. Will you join me?

www.whiteribbon.org.uk/promise

 

On 5 December I am helping my chosen charity for the year, Age UK Worcester and Malvern Hills, to put on an event for invited older residents to meet the Mayor for tea, cake, a tour of the Guildhall and a live performance from Isy, an exceptionally talented musician from New College Worcester.

I would like to encourage businesses to support this event by making a donation to my appeal in aid of Age UK. If you run a business, and you make a contribution, you will be named in the event programme.

Donate here.