Mayor of Worcester Blog

The highlights of the week were the many events which celebrated the achievements of our young people.

We had the honour of attending two of the nine University of Worcester graduation ceremonies in the Cathedral. This year, a record number of students received well-earned awards for their hard work. The Chancellor, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, attended and we were delighted to share his table for lunch.

Later we enjoyed Walking on Sunshine, performed by Worcester Musical Theatre at the Swan. Talented youngsters from Harlequin Stage School and Wilden and Claines primary schools performed superbly.

The Worcestershire Group Training Association awarded many successful engineering and commercial apprentices at a special celebration event we attended on Monday.

Training Ship Ark Royal celebrated its seventh birthday by awarding some very impressive young cadets, immaculately turned out for their presentation evening.

Finally, young sportsmen and women were recognised at the Hereford & Worcester Sports Partnership’s fifteenth Annual Sports Awards.

Most of these events rely heavily on the efforts of unpaid volunteers and we should all be grateful that they challenge and inspire our young people so that they become confident, successful adults.

King George V Playing Fields (also known as Brickfields Park) is situated in the centre of Rainbow Hill ward, which I represent as a city councillor. I have been working for months with a small number of local people to bring back the fireworks night, which took place on 3 November this year. It was a real pleasure to open the event and to thank those who made it happen. The display was spectacular and gave hundreds of local families a great night out.

The Lions Club’s Charter Evening was at the cricket club on Saturday and I was pleased to thank members for all the very worthwhile activities they organise, to help both local and overseas communities in need.

We returned to the Cathedral on Sunday afternoon for the County Council civic service, at the invitation of chairman Tony Miller.

My Family Fun Day on Friday (28 October) attracted hundreds to the Guildhall. Children jumped on a bouncy castle, watched magicians, had their faces painted, were tattooed with glitter, joined sports activities and coloured in pictures. Parents joined tours of the building and whole families were photographed with me and the sword-bearer. The day was a real success and I hope it can be repeated in the future.

My charities, Midlands Air Ambulance, YHA Breaks for Kids and Action for Children, will all benefit from the public donations received. I thank them all – along with Worcester Community Trust, Freedom Leisure, Miraculous Magic, Rev. Jim Brown and former mayors Pat Agar and Andy Roberts, for entertaining our guests. My thanks also to Tesco St Peters for providing cakes and serving refreshments.

Remembering those who were killed and injured during the two great wars – and many battles since – is important to most of us. We also fondly remember those fortunate to return home safely, but who also protected the freedoms we all enjoy today.

Last Thursday (27 October) I unveiled a poppy sculpture in CrownGate shopping centre and placed the first of 3,000 poppies on the installation. Since then, members of the Royal British Legion have received many generous donations from passers-by who added their poppies and have turned the sculpture into a mass of red petals.

On Saturday, I launched the official start of the Poppy Appeal from the Guildhall steps. There was a short service of remembrance and thousands of poppy petals fell onto the forecourt from above.

Gheluvelt Park on Sunday morning was the location of a moving service focused on our local heroes who served in the Battle of Gheluvelt 102 years ago. Many were killed or injured but they prevented the German advance in Belgium on 31 October 1914. We will remember them with gratitude.

 

 

Every year, Christmas seems to arrive surprisingly early. It feels like it was still summer a couple of weeks ago. Autumn seems to have been very short and we are about to move our clocks back which, for me, signals the start of winter.

On Tuesday, mayoress Lynn and I were surrounded by colourful calendars and Christmas cards when we opened the charity card shop inside the Guildhall. There was an extensive choice of designs and I was impressed that over 70% of the money paid for the cards goes to worthwhile charities. Well done to the volunteers who will be running this shop during the weeks ahead. I’m sure Worcester people will support their efforts.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester launched his latest book Disconnected: Broken Links in Britain’s Rail Policy with a talk at The Hive. This fascinating talk reminded the audience that successive governments have failed to give proper commitment to developing a really good national rail network – little wonder that we have increasingly congested motorways and crowded trains today.

I had the honour of hosting a visit by officials and business people from Anhui in China. Fortunately, they were accompanied by interpreters so that they, and our council leader, cabinet members and officers could understand each other. It is hoped that these early talks will, over time, bring mutual benefits to both Anhui and Worcester.

The Worcester Repertory Company have been staging Shakespeare’s lesser known play King John before sell-out Cathedral audiences and we were lucky enough to have seats for the final show. Coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the death of King John, this production took place next to his tomb, which added poignancy to the atmospheric setting.

We rose early on Wednesday for breakfast with Worcester Vigornia Rotarians at their regular Fownes Hotel gathering. Good to hear plans for collections of food and cash for food parcels for those in need in our city. It must be Christmas!

I was greatly honoured to host a reception on Friday evening for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The Archbishop’s interview by Jeremy Vine, followed by audience questions from a packed University of Worcesterer Arena, revealed a man with a real depth of compassion and humanity.

Archbishop Justin spent years in the oil industry before his ordination into the Church of England. He was candid about doing his school homework behind his hymn book in school assemblies. He also spoke with emotion about his discovery that the man who raised him was not, in fact, his biological father and about his daughter’s depression.

Challenged over issues such as celibacy and abortion, the Archbishop’s carefully crafted answers showed understanding of the wider issues whilst honestly explaining the church’s position.

Many people in Worcestershire and Dudley will have heard and seen our Archbishop during his very busy schedule on this diocesan visit. I hope they were as impressed as I have been in his presence.

On Sunday morning, Lynn and I visited Worcester Gymnastic Club in Diglis, where we watched very talented youngsters working hard to improve their skills. This successful club has about 1,000 members and a waiting list. We hope that some of them will achieve regional, national and international recognition in future.

Later, we presented medals to cyclists completing the Worcestershire Tour. Our busy day ended in Gloucester Cathedral where we attended Gloucester Mayor Neil Hampson’s civic service.

On Monday we were back in the Arena for the Pride and Prejudice Conference about hate crimes. It is very sad that, in 2016, a number of our residents still think it is acceptable to make other people’s lives miserable by abusing them simply because they are different. Moving accounts by the mother and sister of a hate victim who was killed emphasised why we all need to be ready to challenge this behaviour.