A big thank you to all those who braved the weather to join the St Paul’s Hostel big Sleep Out last week.  The weather turned out for the worst, with torrential rain and the temperature plummeting.  It was a sobering night for all those involved; unfortunately it is a daily occurrence for those who are sleeping rough on the streets of the City.  The money raised should go a long way in helping to get vital supplies – well done all!

The Mayoral Chain which I often wear was originally designed for Alexander Clunes, who twice became Sherriff and Mayor of the city and who donated it for subsequent mayors to wear after his death in 1878.  As Clunes was a railway man, the mayoral Chain of Office was fittingly designed to represent the links between railway carriages.

The connection to the railway was recently recognised by astute business woman Asia Baig, who recently launched the Centenary Lounge on the Cross in Worcester, taking inspiration from the nostalgic golden era of Great Western Railway carriages. Their accurate representation and attention to detail has derived from a labour of Love.  I urge you to pay a visit to marvel at the sheer beauty of the place; may be you’ll also be tempted to try an afternoon tea in the luxurious surroundings!

I’m not a natural musical fan, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the WODS production of Oklahoma, which left me in raptures. The standard of acting and singing was far superior to anything one might expect from an amateur production company.  Full credit to the hard work and dedication of the volunteers and staff, who have ensured two cracking performances thus far!

I joined Richard Soper, ex CEO of Worcester Bosch, for the official opening of the new Regency High School extension, where I marvelled over the new facilities with governors and pupils alike. The extension was dedicated to long term Governor John Pearsall, who has dedicated over 30 years of community service on top of running a highly successful engineering consultancy firm.

It is exactly this service by key prominent business people that was talked about at the annual Civic Lecture which I hosted at the Guildhall this week.  Andrew Reekes, a prominent historian and Old Vigornian, talked about the role of Joseph and Neville Chamberlain in the brief renaissance that Birmingham experienced under their great leadership. The determination of prominent people to contribute to society and deal with the social dilemmas and ills of their time is what marks a progressive and compassionate society.  There are many such examples of this in Worcester today; it is local people’s love and determination to give something back which keeps this city going.