Mayor of Worcester Blog

Phil and I attended an exuberant dinner and dance in aid of St Richard’s Hospice on Friday evening. Our hosts, Mr and Mrs Saladino, and many of their guests were Italian. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and party goers were very generous with their support for St Richards.

Local Samaritans gathered to celebrate their 50 year anniversary for delivering their service in Worcester. Bishop John Inge arrived on his racing bike. He was wearing his Petrel Cross, as worn by his predecessor at the Samaritans’ opening fifty years ago. The Samaritans’ helpline offers a listening support to people experiencing substantial emotional distress, and is available 24/7.

We spent much of Sunday at the Cathedral for the Shrievalty Service and the County Harvest Festival Service. The first was very grand and dignified, while the second was quite informal with members of the farming community participating.

I had a lovely afternoon on Tuesday, presenting awards to children who took part in the Summer Reading Challenge at St John’s Library. Two hundred children had taken part and each young person who succeeded in reading six books received a medal and a certificate of achievement.

Warndon Parish Council had a lively meeting to discuss matters of local interest, including play areas, and their wish to be more involved in planning for play in the neighbourhood going forward.

 

Worcester Lifestyles volunteers were presented with certificates and qualifications at their annual meeting this week.  It was a special morning and for some, an occasion for a good hug.  Lifestyles offers opportunities to people with disabilities across Worcestershire. Upcyclers can always find something of interest at their shop in Lowesmoor, and support this hard working charity at the same time too.

Diversity Night with Age UK was as exciting as always. We were treated to a whistle-stop world tour in a single evening, featuring dance styles from India, Turkey, Ireland, the Philippines and Cuba. The Afro-Caribbean Association sang the African-American spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and a young Romanian lady sang a folk song in her native language.

Friday was a cupcake day with the Macmillan volunteers. Their Guildhall coffee morning to raise funds for cancer support was a great success.

St Swithun’s Church is one of Worcester’s hidden gems. You can see it from Mealcheapen Street, but the main door is on a secluded alleyway. This lovely Georgian church hopes to become better known and is looking for ideas for its future use. I had a tour of the organ loft, and got to meet a Harris Hawk and a Gyr Hawk up close and personal too!

On Thursday afternoon, I visited Acorns and was able to chat with families who use the hospice.  Acorns do a superb job of caring for children with life limiting conditions, and families say it has transformed their lives. Some of the children were being entertained by a beautiful golden retriever and his folk singing owner – a good time seemed to be had by all.

 

The Family Fun Day and Dog Show at Worcester Woods was the funniest event of our week. Phil and I struggled to judge the “Cutest Puppy” category. All of them were such stars! The winner was so friendly, he wriggled from end to end when he wagged his tail. Dogs of all shapes and sizes vied for prizes – and all in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

WorcesterUniversity’s high tech pollen lab provides the daily pollen count for the BBC weather forecast. The lab is also doing ground breaking research on airborne allergens and diseases. Their climate controlled room is used to test products in all conditions. You can pretend to be an Arctic explorer in sub-zero temperatures or simulate tropical heat and humidity.

Barry North opened the Friends of the Swan Variety Show with the Harlequin Stage School Juniors. They performed the Sandman Dance, while Barry sang “The Old Bazaar in Cairo.”  We were treated to show songs, operatic arias and pop songs. There were dance performances from the AcademyDanceSchool and Harlequin Juniors. Barry North’s Cheeky humour and comic characters had the audience in stitches.

Worcester City Sports Awards 2013 honoured sports heroes of all ages and abilities. England rugby player Heather Fisher gave an inspirational talk about the ups and downs of her sporting career.  Luke Sugg, who captains England’s disabled cricket team, was honoured for his outstanding achievements and I met two rising stars of triathlon, Nixie Turner and Ann Price.

The local Military History Society are a knowledgeable and appreciative group. We thoroughly enjoyed their company when they visited the Guildhall this week, and would like to thank them for their kind donation to the Mayor’s charities.

 Worcester College of Technology held its graduation ceremony in the Cathedral on Friday. Students achieved qualifications in a staggering range of subjects. Congratulations to all of them, and best wishes for the future.

 Art fans braved torrential rain on Friday evening to attend the Worcester Society of Artists’ annual exhibition.  Cheeky ceramics were displayed alongside lyrical landscapes and beautifully observed wildlife studies, some extraordinarily realistic pastel portraits and a bust of Andy Murray.

 Soroptimists celebrated the 75^th anniversary of the Worcester and Malvern group with dinner at Bank House. They are currently working to improve maternal health and mortality rates in Gambia. When you consider that 1 in 8 women die in childbirth in parts of Africa, you can see why their work is so badly needed. And this is only one of their many projects.

 We had a steady stream of visitors to the Guildhall on Heritage Day. It is always a pleasure to share the city’s treasures with local people and overseas guests. On the day, we were grateful for the help of past Mayor, Andy Roberts, whose knowledge of Guildhall objects and history is legendary.

 Later on Sunday afternoon, septuagenarian Enid Corker and a group of young soldiers slogged through mud and rain to the Guildhall on the final leg of their walk to publicise soldiers’ issues. The Lieutenancy received a roll of honour from Enid -and presented her with her own copy.