Mayor of Worcester Blog

I was very moved and humbled during my visit to Acorns Children’s Hospice as I met families, patients, staff, and volunteers. The sadness was balanced by the absolutely superb state-of-the-art facilities and the extraordinary devotion and commitment of the staff and volunteers. Dealing with end-of-life care must demand exceptional personal qualities and the Hospice deals with care in such a sensitive way, making all the necessary comfortable provision for families to cope with severe bereavement. Thank you David Strudley, Chief Executive, for leading such a wonderful team of people where you routinely try to help others overcome what must be unbearable grief.

The Kay’s Theatre Group production of Babes In The Wood at The Swan was non-stop energy from start to finish!  In the good old tradition of British pantomime, there was audience participation, which meant I got sprayed with water during one episode. I didn’t know water guns could reach that far – all good fun though. Superb performances from everybody – well done to Chris Cassidy, KTG President, and special congratulations to students from Harlequin Stage School, Worcester, who have recently been chosen to represent England at the Dance World Cup in Bucharest.

It was a real pleasure to meet residents at the Warndon Connect event at the Warndon Youth & Community Centre. It was very much along the lines of my own mayoral charity project – Come On In – to tackle the problem of loneliness and social isolation by bringing people together for a chat over a nice cuppa and cake, and providing an opportunity for them to use and pass on their own particular skills – in this case knitting – whilst enjoying the company of others outside their own homes.

It is always good to be part of the ecclesiastical life of our City. I met some interesting and imaginative people at the Dean’s New Year reception for local businesses; and I continue to be in awe at what was clearly once the former majesty of the Old Palace at the Bishop of Worcester’s reception.

 

I was most impressed by the Youth Development College hidden away in St. Nicholas Street when I attended their end of year celebration to present the certificates and prizes at the awards ceremony for the students’ educational, vocational, and personal achievements. Well done to them not only for their new qualifications but also for raising £500 for Children in Need.

It’s always nice to celebrate more good news about our city, so I was delighted to open the new bright and clean Home Bargains store on Shrub Hill Retail Park. It is a fantastic addition to local shopping opportunities and it has really smartened up the area. Good luck to the very friendly staff.

There was more good news when I attended the announcement at The Royal Hospital of the new partnership between Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and The Haven. Worcester is now unique in the country for having a breast cancer after-care service at The Haven on the site of the hospital. It is tremendously good news for our city as the NHS remains, deservedly, the nation’s most loved and trusted institution.

It was a real pleasure to open the newly made-over Lyppard Grange Community Centre on the occasion of its 21st birthday. In fact, it was more to mark its re-opening on its anniversary with its new branding, preparing for the next 21 years of providing services for the local community. I was amazed by the enormous number of people present, but then it quickly became obvious what an important part the centre continues to play for local residents. Well done Mo Bayliss and all the volunteers.

A particularly touching aspect was that a number of three-year-olds had done drawings of me as Mayor. I think most of them were better than the real thing! I loved the red hair in so many of the pictures. I invited the winner, James, and his family to tea in The Parlour where I hope some chocolate cakes will make him less shy.

Meeting with officers from the Battle of Worcester Partnership was another reminder of what great heritage Worcester has to offer the world and how many people have volunteered to promote it.

Photo courtesy of Worcester News

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

The Mayor of Worcester would like to take this opportunity to announce the first ever ‘Best of Worcester’ Community Awards.

In partnership with the Rotary Club of Worcester and supported by Regenerating Communities this will be the first event of its kind to celebrate all that is good about Worcester.

We are seeking nominations from all sections of the community for a number of categories for work that they feel should be recognised and rewarded.

The dinner will be the Mayor’s major fund-raising event of the year.

All short-listed nominations will be invited to a special dinner in the Guildhall on the evening of Friday 20 March 2015, where the winners will be announced and presented with their awards.

All the money raised will be divided between the Rotary Club of Worcester charities and the Mayor’s charities – Forces Support, Cathedral Charitable Trust and the Mayor’s own project to tackle loneliness amongst the elderly.

The nomination must reach us by 5.00pm on Monday 16 February 2015. People shortlisted for an award will be informed by Tuesday 24 February 2015.

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

For information please contact civicoffice@worcester.gov.uk

My instinct tells me that 2015 is going to be another uncertain and unpredictable year in every way. So, expect the unexpected – it always happens.

For the Mayoralty, I remain totally focused on my priorities, one of which is my charity work.  My Come On In project aims to build a Citywide network of luncheon clubs/meet and greet groups/snack and chat sessions to tackle the dreadfully widespread incidence of loneliness and isolation amongst older people. So far, I have raised nearly £15,000 but my ambitions don’t stop there.

Also, I am proud to be supporting Forces Support, a charity that provides practical help (such as gardening and decorating) just when it is needed most for families who have lost a soldier in action. Having held the latest Prize Draw in The Parlour, it was an amazing experience telephoning the winners informing them they had won £1,000, £500, and £300 in cash!

The other priority is to engage with people by going out to meet them and inviting them into The Parlour. This is my “Be My Guest” programme whereby I host a tour, tea, and chat for schools (and other groups). No longer do I worry about a lack of interest as I have been amazed by the children’s enthusiasm for and curiosity about what they see and do. Please visit The Guildhall where I am displaying their drawings of “My Best Thing” of the visit.  What I love about these events is that the children are so refreshing. They ask what they want and say what they think. A frequent question is about the value of the Mayoral silver and what would I spend the money on if I sold it!  Nice idea at least.

One forthcoming highlight I am very excited about is the Mayor’s Charity Dinner on March 20th as this has been completely re-vamped and will be another first-ever event involving the whole community throughout Worcester. I’m also looking forward to the Civic Service on 8th February, and then visiting the army in north Germany when I’ll take part in a tank exercise. They’ve sort of promised that I can fire a few rounds and even possibly drive the tank.