Mayor of Worcester Blog

After a very pleasant, warm and restful long bank holiday weekend, it was back to work on Tuesday with a meeting of the trustees at the Museum of Royal Worcester.  This gem in Worcester’s heritage has suffered from the closure of the Porcelain factory, and visitor numbers are only slowly recovering. Can I advise an early trip, to see what is a nationally recognised collection!

Later we attended a ceremony in the Assembly Room, when local people were awarded the British Empire Medal.  It was great to meet the local recipients and hear of their outstanding service to the community.

During the evening we attended the Choir School Association’s annual conference dinner in College Hall.  It was interesting to meet representatives from all the choir schools and to hear of their pleasure at spending time in the city, and making local visits to tourist attractions.

On Wednesday we opened the Prince’s Trust Community Project at Woodgreen Nursery in Trotshill Lane East. The students had not only raised the money, but had spent two weeks in building a concrete path and building a wood shed to help the children use the outdoor space in the summer.  Congratulations to Team 172 who worked so hard!

At lunchtime I was invited to the Friendly Lunch at The Guesten by Friends of the Cathedral. We not only enjoyed a meal together, but also discussed important local matters – particularly related to traffic in the city and improving Cathedral Square!

On Thursday we entertained a former Mayoress to tea in The Parlour.  We were visited by Mrs Lewis and her daughter Pat Turner, and were truly entertained with memories of the past and stories of their life in Worcester.

Later in the evening, we were invited to attend the Rotary Club of Worcester’s Severn Vocational and Community Service Awards Dinner at the Race Course.  It was most interesting to meet the two award winners, and hear of their long service as volunteers.

Afterwards I spoke of my experience as Mayor and raised some of the “wicked issues” that are facing the City Council.  We enjoyed a lively question and answer session, to conclude a very enjoyable evening.

On Friday we welcomed friends and representatives of voluntary organisations to our “farewell fling” in the Guildhall over lunchtime. We enjoyed meeting so many old friends and thanked them for their support after such a busy year as Mayor.  I was able to announce that we had raised over £28,000 to benefit the mayoral charities.

Later in the evening we visited the Almonry in Evesham and were entertained to a meal by Councillor Robert Raphael as a farewell to the “Chains” over the last municipal year.

On Saturday the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Pat Agar, attended the Young Firefighters’ Passing Out Parade at Droitwich.

 

Last Sunday was dominated by St George’s Day events; first a Cathedral service, and then the annual march past the Guildhall where we took the salute. Congratulations to the Second Worcesters who took overall responsibility for the day, and the many parents and children who took part in the well-supported event.

Later we showed representatives around the Guildhall including the Assembly Room and Cells, which provided a source of real interest.

On Monday we were asked to open the recently refurbished Warmstry Court  – I well remember it being built on the site of the former “City Rag Stores”!  It was great to see the improved accommodation which has been created by Thomas Vale Construction.

Tuesday saw my final meeting as Chair of the World War 1 commemoration committee, where we approved a new structure to produce a more streamlined organisation.

Later we supported the Mayor of Evesham’s St George’s Day event, held at the refurbished Regal Cinema in Evesham.  It is a beautiful example of Art Deco, and hosted a most enjoyable evening, courtesy of Councillor Robert Raphael.

Wednesday saw us attending the Civic Society’s annual Mayor’s lecture, “From Austerity to Prosperity”, which was given By Professor David Green, Vice Chancellor of the University of Worcester.  It was a bullish presentation, calling for re-investment in infrastructure as an alternative to continued stagnation!

On Friday we entertained another prize winner with coffee in the Parlour.  Later we joined MP Robin Walker for the opening of Second Chance Furnishings – a subsidiary of St Paul’s Hostel for the Homeless.  We met a number of volunteers and service users, who are fully engaged in this most interesting project.

During the evening we attended a civic Charity Dinner at Hagley Hall, for the Civic Head of Bromsgove’s charities.

I joined members of the Clothiers Society for a farm tour at Top Barn Farm on Saturday.  I was impressed with the link between farm and countryside, and the many local voluntary bodies who are supported by this interesting diversification from farming.

During the afternoon we made a final trip to St George’s Lane, where I attended the last football match against Chester FC.  It was an afternoon of mixed emotions, and it does seem sad that no suitable local ground-sharing facility could have been arranged!

During the evening Jill and I attended our penultimate fund- raiser, with the Great Witley Operatic Society and Friends presenting the concert version of “Pirates of Penzance”.  It was sensational, the packed audience enjoying a superb evening. Our thanks to so many volunteers, friends and performers in particular, who gave up their Saturday for such an enjoyable evening’s performance. Thanks to Jane Dodd who was the leading soprano, Sue Black MD and Caroline Causier, who spent so much time organising the event over the past nine months.

Saturday brought a great chance to see the opportunities offered by Worcester U3A (University of the Third Age), as I opened their Cameo event. This was held at Christopher Whitehead Language College in Bromwich Road and the Mayoress and I enjoyed meeting over 300 members of the U3A and hearing about the opportunities offered to them in their “third age”.

I enjoyed a real first on Sunday, when I was asked to christen a new boat, the Floreat Vigornia, at The Rowing Club. It was great to see the opportunities there are for young people at the club and to see them making such great and safe use of the city’s river.

On Monday I joined Worcester Community Trust for their Community Consultation event in Bell Square. The Mayoress and I were delighted to meet young people who attend the Tolly Youth Club.

On Tuesday I chaired a consultation afternoon at the Guildhall to discuss the commemoration of the centenary of World War I. It was attended by representatives from throughout Worcestershire and I hope it will be possible to co-ordinate events across the county over the next four years.

I was delighted to welcome the successful Worcester University Men’s Basketball Team to the Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall on Wednesday. It was a privilege to meet the team who have won the National University Men’s Basketball title for the third year in succession.

Later on, I had the honour of presenting four Long Service Awards to council staff who have served over 25 years continuous service each. It was great to meet them and their families. What a true commitment to the Council!

That evening we were guests of Great Witley Operatic Society at their  production Of Oklahoma! at The Swan Theatre. Congratulations to Musical Director Sue Black, Director Chris Love and all the cast and backstage crew on an excellent production.

Thursday brought the opening of local firm Postcode Anywhere’s new offices at Diglis. It was great to meet such an enthusiastic group of staff who will surely enjoy working in these excellent premises.

On Saturday we attended a gala concert by The Orchestra of The Swan and Chamber Choir at Pershore Abbey. It was promoted by the Worcester Friends of The Three Choirs Festival to raise funds for the festival when it returns to Worcester in 2014.

 

A meeting of Worcester Rotary on Monday brought good news, as we were able to finalize the accounts for last month’s charity banquet. I’m delighted to report that over £7,000 was raised towards the Rotary charities and my own Mayoral causes, St Paul’s Hostel and Maggs Day Centre. It was a great effort and we are extremely grateful to all our friends who supported the event. A special thanks to Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society’s Youth Section (WODYS), who launched the evening with such a fine performance.

Later that day, I joined a civic party led by the chairman of Worcestershire County Council, Cllr Rob Adams, to visit The Hive. Despite being a regular user I found there are place in this landmark building that I hadn’t seen before, so it was an interesting visit. Congratulations to all those who have been involved in this truly remarkable project.

One of the duties of the Mayor is to chair the meeting of the full Council, and on Tuesday I was pleased to welcome over 40 members of Worcester Swimming Club who there for the debate about a new swimming pool for the city. It was a final Council for me as its chair and was the scene of a lively debate on the introduction of the “bedroom tax”

On Wednesday evening, in my role as President, I chaired the annual general meeting of Worcester Twinning Association, and presided over the election of the association’s officers. It was a well attended meeting and it was interesting to hear about celebrations for the 25th anniversary of our twinning with Kleve in Germany. Next year there is a visit to Worcester, Massachusets, and a return visit for Kleve residents.

Speaking of our American namesake, on Thursday I welcomed Carl Herrin, Pro Vice Chancellor of Worcester University in Massachusets, to the Guildhall.

Later that day, I welcomed two groups of visitors from Worcester Industrial Archaeology and the History Association to see the Guildhall treasures. I was pleased that we were able to display some of our historic Charters, which caused a great deal of interest. Carl Jukes, city conservation officer, came along and was able to provide a great deal of detail about the current buildings.

I was pleased to join members of the Onside charity at the Guildhall on Friday to launch their new Get Connected campaign. Onside is dedicated to help vulnerable, disadvantages and isolated people, and this new campaign is all about encouraging people to make contact with and support their neighbours. I hope as many people as possible in Worcester will take the pledge to Get Connected.

Finally, I’d like to remind you of two upcoming events in aid of my charities – performance of The Pirates Of Penzance on April 27, courtesy of Great Witley Opeartic Society (GWOS) and on April 30 a lecture on Medicine in Worcestershire by Dr John Harcup.

Tickets for both are available on 01905 722001.