It was a disappointing start to the week with rain washing out some very good plans, the main casualty being the Carnival. The event was run this year basically for two reasons; one to see if the people of Worcester want one (the crowds that turned out proved without doubt that they did), and the other was to sort out all the logistics – including security arrangements and health and safety.

It was such a shame about the weather – the rain ruined all the paper costumes that the parents and children made, Pitchcroft flooded and the fun fair was forced to up stumps and depart! As Mayor I think that Worcester should have an annual carnival and I hope the future will see a bigger event with motorised floats, which will bring the whole community together.

On a very, very positive note the European Wheelchair Basketball Championship, held at the Arena, was magnificent! Really fast, energetic, entertaining sport played out by incredibly keen and committed teams of great players. Not only was the sport great, the venue was second to none and provided world class facilities for all the competitors, administrators and spectators alike. Hats off to the University for such great forward thinking and planning to deliver this national venue for disabled sporting events; so good for Worcester!

Our teams did us proud; the women’s team did well to gain bronze. In their match against Germany, who won Gold, we lost by one point with a final score of 55 to 56. They deserved more and nearly won that match when the very last ball, worth two points, in the very last second of the match bounced off the ring of the net just as the whistle blew!! Our men’s Team won the Championship Final with points to spare. A truly superb week in Worcester’s sporting calendar.

The Battle of Worcester Drumhead Service took place on 3^rd September, starting in the Commandery and then processing up to the top of Fort Royal, where two volleys of musket fire preceded a short service by Cannon Tonge and then a talk by Stephen Roberts. The Battle of Worcester Society is committed to bringing the fascinating and vital heritage behind the battle of 1651 to life for us all and during this event a book titled The Diaries and Papers of Henry Townshend was launched. It is about his experiences of life during the siege of Worcester in 1646.