Mayor of Worcester Blog

Education, graduation, awards, the economy, the arts, charity, faith and peace.

With the summer holidays well and truly over, mid-September has been a whirlwind of fantastic events and visits.

I visited Newbridge School and had the opportunity to say hello to quite a few students, teaching staff plus a cute dachshund dog called “Bean”, every school should have one!

I enjoyed the return of the University of Worcester Graduation Dinner and the final day of the Graduation Ceremony, which included a visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester at the Bishop’s Palace.

I also enjoyed the Heart of Worcestershire Graduation Ceremony and time afterwards in the St Andrew’s Building, with super views of our riverside. It was great to be in the traditional processions, following the sword, the lead and mace bearers.

Both Bishop Perowne and Nunnery Wood students visited the Guildhall.  Bishop’s brought German exchange students and Nunnery came as a whole year group. The council staff came into their own with tours and quizzes and I helped out in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Art events included the Young Writers Final, the Worcester Male Voice Choir Concert and a screening of “Outrun” on the opening night of Worcester Film Festival.  All were outstanding.

A Business Improvement District (BID) exhibition was an opportunity to see its proposals to improve and promote our city centre as a place to live, work, visit and invest.  Meanwhile, environmental charity shop Worcester Remade celebrated its first anniversary in the Crowngate Shopping Centre, I cut the cake.

I also attended the annual Health and Social Care Awards evening plus the County Council Chairman’s Charity quiz.

Last Saturday (21 September) was the International Day of Peace, dignitaries spoke, communities came together and a peace flag was raised.  People from all faiths and none also came together at a Faith Conference.

To help celebrate Heritage Open Days the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall was open on Saturday 7 September and tours were provided.

Dating back to 1721 the Guildhall is a beautiful building with a fascinating history and it.

Hundreds of people visited on the day, including Worcester residents which was great.  It is easy to walk by and I always did, prior to becoming a councillor, a whole five years ago.

It is worth noting that whilst the Mayor’s Parlour is not always open, as I do use it for work and meetings, the Guildhall is usually Monday through to Saturday (except Bank Holidays).

We also have fantastic Tourist Information Centre (TIC) in the Guildhall.

Just head through the gates on the left and take the door on the left and you won’t miss it.

Whilst pupils are just back at school and Halloween and Bonfire Night has not yet happened, the TIC has plenty of gifts suitable for Christmas including Christmas baubles!

I tend to shop early for Christmas and like to choose charities and not for profit organisations for my gifts so do please forgive me for mentioning Christmas in September!

I recently visited Veron in France for the Commemoration of the Battle of Vernon and bought gifts from the TIC for our hosts.

Aside from retail Worcester has much to offer as a tourist destination.  With the Cathedral, the Commandery, Greyfriars and Tudor House to start, our faithful City is rich in history.

We also have some beautiful parks, with Cripplegate in the centre, the riverside and of course the cricket ground.

Arts and culture is growing. The Arches is a brilliant addition and Huntingdon Hall and the Swan Theatre serve us well, with some fantastic home-grown talent.

Heritage Open Days, for me, has served as a reminder of all we have, in our city, our Worcester.

Barker, Battle, Bennetts

On 3 September it was the 373rd anniversary of the Battle of Worcester.  The Battle of Worcester Society and Worcester Re-Enactors came to our Faithful City and set up a living history camp at Bennetts Willow Farm. Visitors and myself were able to get a real sense of what the battle might have been like and how the soldiers fought.

Bennetts is on the same ground as where the battle concluded and is the only working farm in Worcester. Knowing this I will be switching my milk home delivery, from a national supplier to Bennetts, as our local farm. We have some great local enterprise in Worcester and I think it is really important to support local where we can.

It was an honour to join the Annual Drumhead Ceremony to mark the anniversary of the battle, marching to the top of Fort Royal Hill, alongside re-enactors, officers and historians. A short ceremony was held and it was great to see all the residents and visitors present. Muskets were fired and luckily for me, I was prepared from the Living History event the day before and covered my ears just in time!

Afterwards we went back to the Cardinal’s Hat pub in Friar Street and enjoyed an ale and some music from a folk singer which included songs about Worcester. Thank you to the singer and the staff for their hospitality.

Later in the week I was able to draw a raffle with the help of Barker the Dog. Barker the Dog has been created by the Worcester Swan Sanctuary and recently has been seen out and about in the city informing and entertaining residents and visitors, on the importance of keeping dogs on leads near swans.

Find out more information on the Swan Food Project website.

Hold dear our armed forces

On Saturday I travelled, with my cousin Betsan, to the beautiful town of Vernon in France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Vernon.

I kept close to me the Mayoral chain and Betsan looked after our late Harold Allcott’s replica medals. We travelled on the Eurostar, which I fully recommend as it is efficient and kind to the environment.

The Twinning Association organised the trip and along with the Civic Office multiple travel arrangements fell neatly into place.

Several members of the Worcester Twinning Committee travelled as members and stayed with their French hosts.

Veterans of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, Major Richard Fox and wife Anne and Robert Atkinson and wife Carol also travelled and stayed at a hotel in Vernon with Betsan and myself.

On the day of the commemoration our group paid tributes at five locations alongside French dignitaries, veterans, twinning committee members and constituents.

The first stop was the Tilly Foundation.  I laid a wreath and made a speech in French.

For me the most poignant stop was at the War Memorial at the Vernnonet Cemetery.

Face to face with the gravestones of the Worcestershire Royal Regiment for me really hit home.

I was able to wear Harold Allcott’s replica medals and clutched them tightly as I thought about how many lives were lost.

At the formal ceremony I laid a wreath alongside the Twinning Association and other wreath layers.

It was reassuring to have children alongside us at the wreath laying.  A comfort that the lessons of history are being taught for a better future.

After the ceremony a French resident went out of his way to thank me for my speech.  It was a privilege having been able to do so.  Thank you to all veterans.