Mayor of Worcester Blog

I recently called round to Worcester’s Foodbank. I looked through the roller shutter doors and with a chill I distinctly noticed a difference between this and previous years. Christmas is a time of giving and thinking of people who are less fortunate. Last year I noticed a queue of donated food that had not yet been processed. Sadly, this year I did not see that food.

Demand has gone through the roof. Chatting to the managers, Grahame Lucas and Ruth Allsopp, they told me that food donations are not enough and increasingly they are spending thousands of pounds each week buying in additional food. So, this is a blog for them. (taken by permission from their website)

Never mind a white Christmas.

Here at Worcester Foodbank all we’re dreaming of is a Christmas where no-one in our city goes hungry.

That’s why we’ve unwrapped our festive food shopping list as we brace ourselves for a challenging countdown to Christmas, with an expected record numbers of referrals to us.

We want everyone in crisis that turns to us for help to enjoy a taste of Christmas – whether that’s some stuffing and cranberry sauce or Christmas cake and mince pies.

Our team of little elves will be working their Christmas socks off to make sure we feed thousands of people over the coming weeks.

The most important ingredient remains your generosity.

With demand for food so high, we won’t be running our usual Christmas toy voucher appeal. Instead we’d love you to show your support by either donating some festive food from our list or making a financial contribution.

You can make a donation via the Worcester Foodbank website: https://worcester.foodbank.org.uk

 

On Monday I had the pleasure of supporting a graduation and awards ceremony held by The Development Manager. They are a local success story employing 33 including four apprentices. They currently have over 140 technical and digital apprentices on their books. By coincidence on Thursday I also attended the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association awards evening. They support the training needs of dozens of local businesses like Worcester Bosch, Mazak, The NHS Trust as well the City Council and even Worcestershire Cricket Club.

Apprenticeships have many advantages. The UK has a skills gap, employers are struggling to find enough suitably qualified people. Compared to university places, apprenticeships allow a far greater range of people to train, essentially because they increase access by allowing people to work and earn money at the same time as they are training.

All businesses are able to access the Apprenticeship Levy and large employers have to pay a compulsory 0.5% of their total annual wage bill into the Levy. This means that unscrupulous employers cannot get away with doing no training and then steal newly trained staff from other employers that do invest properly in training.

Apprentices do not have any tuition fees to pay and so do not have a student loan to pay back. Many people really thrive having the opportunity to put in place what they are learning directly into their job. Apprenticeships provide structure for people to develop their careers, with clear progression routes available from one apprenticeship to the next.

 

My visits last week included ASPIE, a social, support and therapy group for adults with Asperger’s. Asperger’s syndrome is often considered a high functioning form of autism. It can lead to difficulty interacting socially, repeat behaviours, and clumsiness. But on the positive side people with Asperger’s are often very intelligent, exhibit high integrity and work well with detail.

ASPIE is different from most groups for people on the spectrum in that they were founded by an Asperger adult and everyone at ASPIE either has the condition and /or the lived experience. Their centre in Worcester is a safe haven where Asperger adults can drop the mask they wear in the outside world and find acceptance, friendship and support to reduce isolation, anxiety, depression self-harm and suicidal tendencies and increase self-worth and confidence to achieve the social inclusion, education and employment opportunities they long for.

Julia Micklewright gave me an insight into the difficulties people on the spectrum encounter because of their different wiring and the need for the laid-back environment which allows members at their own pace, to join in board games, discussions, art, plus computer/internet access for strategic games etc. They have a music room with a couple of keyboards and guitars.  Poker is popular and so are their quiz nights. Their football team, ASPIE Avengers have won many trophies and accolades.

After a tour of the centre, I was able to mix and mingle with many members and joined in a game of Cards for Humanity. After that I met one of the ASPIE counsellors, Justine, art therapist, and members of the art group, preparing pumpkins for their Halloween party next week. I was made to feel very welcome. Thank you Julia for everything you do.

ASPIE is a very friendly and nonjudgmental group. Any adult on the spectrum feeling alone and misunderstood is welcome to visit. You can see more about them on www.aspie.org.uk

 

 

On Saturday, I was delighted to attend an event celebrating the lives of Black residents in Worcester as part of Black History Month. Held in the Guildhall, ‘Our Cultural Heritage’ was an exciting and vibrant event organised by local community groups including the Worcester Anti Racism Initiative, Worcester Afro Caribbean Association and the Association of Igbo’s in Worcestershire.

The lower hall incorporated an exhibition celebrating early residents and contributions made to life in the city, including sports people, NHS staff, people in business and local volunteers.  Upstairs, the Assembly Room, was brought to life with music, art, poetry and a fantastic spread of food, but most importantly a buzz of conversation.

It was a particular highlight for me to be able to open the Mayor’s Parlour and provide a short tour around the Guildhall, to local people of all ages and from across Worcester’s diverse communities.

While the Worcester Anti Racism Initiative has run a successful programme as part of Black History Month for the last few years, it is the first year that the Guildhall has hosted this event, and the organising team hopes to build on the successes of the last few years.

The team is keen to hear from anyone who would like to support this event going forward, to be part of the conversations and to share their experiences and memories of living in Worcester. If you would like to get in touch, the Communities team can be contacted at communities@worcester.gov.uk