A Mayor has to be flexible and able to take on a wide range of duties. This was put to the test when I opened the Family Fun Day and Dog Show at Worcester Woods Country Park and was asked to judge two dog show events. Fortunately, I was given the very enjoyable task of judging the “cutest puppy” round which was surprisingly difficult, as they were all so cute.

As the most historic office holder in the County, the Mayor of Worcester does have duties towards other authorities in the region and so it was with great pleasure that I attended the Bromsgrove District Council’s Annual Civic Service, followed by a cream tea. I have never seen so many, or such large pots of clotted cream which must have been measured by the pint. I didn’t even try to resist as I had had a very early start and that was the first food of the day.

I love Americans because they’re always so optimistic and enthusiastic about life. So it was with great pleasure that I hosted the President, staff and students from Worcester State University. They were intrigued to see the American flag in the Parlour, which had been flown over the Capitol building in Washington DC in 2001 to honour the people of Worcester, England.

I was so pleased to spend time on Friday attending one coffee morning in The Guildhall and another in St. John’s Youth & Community Centre in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. What an incredible job they do, vital for so many people. They’re just such nice people.

The Worcester Male Voice Choir Annual Concert in College Hall would have been superb on its own, but it was combined with the Mousehole Male Voice Choir producing a virtuoso performance of an extraordinary 120 voices. The renditions of You’ll Never Walk Alone, Impossible Dream, and The Lord’s Prayer were heart-wrenchingly moving.

Sunday produced another first for Worcester, this time a celebration in the Cathedral of our county’s NHS staff as part of their Staff Appreciation Week. No wonder the place was packed out, such is the depth of affection for the nation’s most cherished and trusted institution. Rightly, anyone who messes with it does so at their peril.  And how lucky we are to have as our Mayoress, Sue Amos, who is a serving nurse at the Royal Hospital.