Auction night at the Swan was a real fund raiser, some fifty odd items were auctioned in front of an invited audience raising over £5,000 – an amazing effort for a great cause.   Whilst mentioning this I must pay tribute to Chris Jaeger and the Team at Worcester Live; their work has assured the future of the arts in Worcester, as has the efforts of Colin Kinnear, who has proved to be a great benefactor to the arts scene here in our City.

Whilst at a Mayoral function in Pershore, I met the Deputy Mayor’s consort, Sandra, who told me that she had found an old book in her father’s garden shed that related to a former Mayor of Worcester. The Councillor in question was Emanuel Percy Thomas, known locally as “Pumpy” Thomas. He was Mayor for three years in succession during the first World War, and was one of Worcester’s great characters as well as being  a generous benefactor to Claines Church.  The book in question is a tribute to him and is beautifully scripted and decorated, listing the members of Council at that time and the positions and names of Officers.  It is an amazing find and we are currently looking to preserve the book so that it may be displayed in the Guildhall.

Fortis Living held a celebration of the regeneration of Dines Green in the area around Gresham Road – and what a good job they have made of it! The houses and new shops are of excellent design, well insulated and energy efficient.  The Chief Executive said he was very proud of the scheme, which started with Worcester Community Housing before the merger. He went on to say the company philosophy was to only build houses that they themselves would live in.  There is also a cafe close to the Community Centre which will no doubt be a great asset when they hold the Queen’s Birthday Street Party there in the summer!!

Two plaques were unveiled on the platform of Shrub Hill Station, one noting the refurbishment of the Victorian Waiting room (which is well worth a visit), and the other a memorial plaque in honour of those men who served in WW1, together with pictures of six men who died in service. The plaque is unusual in that it is the only one known to display photographs and all those named were of the Great Western Railway Sheet Department in Worcester.  It was a lucky find as the original had ended up in pile of other things at York Museum and was quite badly damaged; a copy of the restored plaque will be displayed in the Guildhall as well as at Shrub Hill station.

The Worcester Brass Band concert at the Guildhall was superb; around eighty people attended and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The music was great and the company brilliant and the sound not only filled the Assembly Room, but overflowed onto the High Street much to the enjoyment of passersby. The band, Worcester Concert Brass, gave their services completely free of charge to help raise fund for Acorns, Daisychain and Sight Concern charities, three great causes and a lovely evening to boot!  My thanks to them all for their kindness and an entertaining evening.

Bag packing in Tesco St Peter’s went well with Helen, of Free Radio, raising money for St Richards Hospice. Helen is running the London Marathon and has raised over £3,000 so far, you can support her efforts on behalf of St Richard’s here:-  https://www.justgiving.com/hurstyandhelen/

Helen says, “Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and for your donation!