Mayor of Worcester Blog

Last Thursday the Mayoress and I attended the Kinship Carers 10th Anniversary professionals event, which was hosted in the Guildhall by Clare Whittaker from Harrison Clark Rickerbys solictors. We were introduced to Enza Smith MBE, the CEO of the Worcester based charity.

On Friday the Heart of Worcester College Graduation Ceremony took place in Worcester Cathedral. My wife Councillor Lucy Hodgson is a former governor of the college, and we were welcomed by Mr Neill Bucktin, Chair of the Corporation, Mr Stuart Laverick, Principal & Chief Executive, and Nicki Williams, the Vice Principal and Chief Executive of the Heart of Worcester College. Congratulations and the best of luck for the future for all those who graduated.

Later in the afternoon I made my official visit the Worcester Life Stories and Titanic exhibitions. Thank you to Phillipa Tinsley and her colleagues for showing the Mayoress and I around. I have been to the Titanic museums in Belfast and Southampton, so to see this exhibition in Worcester was a thrill.

On Saturday I joined the Heritage Open Day that was held at the Guildhall. Members of the public could see parts of the Guildhall not normally open, including the Parlour.  Rob McCarthy, the Mayor’s officer, Frank Southam the Sword Bearer and Mark Harding, a macebearer, were also on hand to welcome visitors.

In the evening I was at the splendid Stanbrook Abbey Hotel for the Children of Worcestershire Cancer Fund Charity Ball. The event was organised by Dawn Forbes, Children and Young People Oncology Nurse Specialist who also received a prestigious award at the event. The mayoress and I were seated next to Dr Baylon Kamalarajan, Lead Clinician, who made the news worldwide a few months ago when he and colleague Emma Mander donned tutus to perform a ballet routine to a young girl patient!

On the Sunday the Annual Worcestershire Freemasons Cathedral and Memorial Service took place. The service was attended by Freemasons from across the county and was presided over by the Provincial Grand Master, Robert Vaughan. The Masonic Charities have helped many people and organisations during the current Covid pandemic.

On Tuesday I was able to welcome back Margaret Jones, the Grants and Fundraising Manager from the Friends of Fort Royal School, and the Collar & Tie production company to the Parlour.  They are producing a film which I feature in – complete with my mayoral robes.

On Wednesday I judged the winner of the Youth Photography competition organised by the Worcester Vigornia Rotary Club, which I also happen to be a member of. The winning entry by Isabel Lock captures the reflection of trees and the sky in a lake, and is stunning.

I took a break from my mayoral functions over the August Bank Holiday weekend and my wife and I enjoyed a relaxing cruise around the Scottish islands.

As soon as we returned, we were straight into mayoral duties with a visit to the home of the High Sheriff of Worcestershire Mr Richard Amphlett, just outside Tenbury Wells. It was a glorious late summer evening and many prominent people around the county were in attendance. This year’s High Sheriff’s fund is supporting mental health charities in Worcestershire.  Any donations would be very welcome – you can make one online at www.justgiving.com/campaign/high-sheriff-Worcestershire

In the evening I was fully robed up to process to Fort Royal Hill, via the Commandery, for the Drumhead service organised by the Battle of Worcester Society. This year is the 370th anniversary of the Civil War Battle that did so much to define our nation’s history.

On Saturday morning I had two mayoral functions.  The first, at the Guildhall, was a charity showcase organised by Worcester Rotary Club. I was met by club president Paul Denham, who is a former mayor of Worcester and spoke to many of the local charity representatives who were there. Afterwards the mayoress and I went to Pitchcroft to see the end of “Families on Track” – a new Worcester City Run event developed by marathon record breaker Paula Ratcliffe, who we met afterwards. Fifty-five families took part, and I was able to present prizes to some of the winners.

In the evening the mayoress and I attended the Battle of Worcester Society’s Anniversary Dinner in the Guildhall, which featured a speech from the Rt Hon Nigel Evans MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, on William Lenthall, who was Speaker at the time of the English Civil War. I would like to thank Richard Shaw, Chairman of The Battle of Worcester Society for the invitations to both this and Friday’s Drumhead service.

My final role, on a busy weekend, was to start the Worcester City Run Half Marathon and other events including the 10K and Junior race. All the weekend’s outdoor activities were gifted with wonderful weather, and it is good to see people once again enjoying everything that Worcester has to offer.

The rain last Saturday meant the Mini-Mela Festival representing South Asian culture was sadly cancelled, but instead it will be held today with the Deputy Mayor, Adrian Gregson in attendance. As a result I had the Saturday off so in the afternoon went to the Worcester Rugby Football Club ground at Weston Fields on Offerton Lane, to join their 150th Anniversary Celebration Day. It was good to see many familiar faces and I watched an entertaining match between the Legends and Rugby for Heroes. Rugby plays an important role in the sporting fabric of our city and without Worcester RFC there wouldn’t be the Worcester Warriors – who play at the top level of the professional game.

On Sunday I made a surprise visit to Vann Vogstad’s home where his three daughters opened a lemonade stall which raised £36 for the “Race for Life” cancer charity. I was able to show then my mayoral chain, let them try it on and give them “I’ve met the Mayor of Worcester” badges. This was a fantastic effort and like the previous week when I was able to welcome Max Surridge and his parents to the Parlour for Tea as a thank you for his support to the Community in St Peter’s, shows what great young people we have in our city.

On Thursday evening I visited the Undercroft at the Cathedral to open the Confetti Exhibition by Jess Pritchard, a wildlife artist and creator of this work of art. Jess was inspired to draw large scale petals to emphasise how something small can have such a large and positive impact. Each petal is named after a different personality trait each of us may have.  Accompanying these is a series of short films playing on a loop, illustrating the meaning behind each petal drawing.

This was my first opportunity to visit the Undercroft (although I walked past it in the Cloisters whilst it was under construction); it makes a superb exhibition space. Whilst I was there the Mayoress and I also had a go at the colouring station which has been set up for both children and adults.