I hope everyone managed to carry out their own act of Remembrance last Sunday in spite of the restrictions we find ourselves under.  Dave and I stood in our garden and observed the two minutes silence and watched the Cathedral Service on Facebook.  The whole service had been recorded before we went into lockdown, so there was no breaking of the rules.  I would like to thank the Cathedral and Michael Brierley especially for putting together the service and enabling us all to remember our brave men and women from the Army, Navy and Air Force – and other services whose sacrifices have enabled us to live the lives we do today.

Dave, Rob and I took a wreath to St. John’s cemetery on Sunday afternoon and laid it on the grave of the Rev. Studdert Kennedy, fondly remembered as “Woodbine Willie”.  He was a WW1 Chaplain who whilst delivering bibles to the troops in the trenches, never forgot that they also needed more worldly things like cigarettes to help them get through the horrors of the fighting.

On Armistice Day I stood in the Guildhall forecourt with Rob, my mayoral officer, Gareth from the Guildhall team and Dave, my consort.  We observed the two minutes silence for the fallen.  Rob spoke the famous words from Laurence Binyon’s poem “For the Fallen”.  We will Remember Them.

It never fails to amaze me how resilient people are and how they can carry on even when life is made so difficult.  Dave and I had cause to visit the hospital in Worcester this week.  Nothing serious and so we were very minor patients – but I would like to give praise and thanks to the doctors, nurses and many others working in the hospital.

They made us feel that the NHS is carrying on regardless of the fact that people are dying and the numbers entering hospital with serious conditions are larger than even a bad winter brings.  My thanks and gratitude to all our health professionals and care workers for looking after us in times of ill health and stress – please remember to look after yourselves too.  Stay safe.