Jill and I started Heritage Day at the Guildhall with doors wide open and plenty of visitors, many of whom are not aware that the Assembly Room is open to the public during the week. Many thanks to the councillors who entertained visitors with numerous anecdotes about the Council chamber.

We attended the Homestart Annual General Meeting and were really pleased to hear so many true life stories about how volunteers have helped. The Mayoress spent four years as a volunteer and understands the importance of a little help at the right time in a person’s life.

Later we welcomed Trustees  from the Porcelain Museum to present them with a copy of the porcelain plate I had given to Her Majesty the Queen when she visited the City. It was good to meet Francis Clark the artist; what a tragedy that these sort of skills have been lost to the City with the closure of The Porcelain.

Photo left to right: Cllr Roger Berry – Mayor of Worcester, Duncan Sharkey – MD of the City Council, Gill Berry – Mayoress of Worcester, artist Francis Clark, Amanda Savidge – Museum Director and Sam Driver White, Chair of the Trustees.

In the evening we enjoyed a most stimulating lecture from visiting Professor Keith Brown on ‘Caring for vulnerable citizens’.  As a society we all have to remember the need to care for the vulnerable and make sure sufficient resources are available.

On Wednesday we had an interesting meeting with Worcester Model Engineers Club, who hope in 2013 to celebrate their 60th Anniversary.   Their presence at Diglis is often unknown; they hold regular steam-ups  on the third Sunday each month until October.

We attended the funeral of George Randall, Freeman of this City on Thursday.  He had clocked up over 48 years service as a City and County Councillor and was the first Labour leader of the City Council.

In the evening we processed to the Cathedral to celebrate the graduation of over 400 students at Worcester College of Technology.  It is easy to forget how much hard work goes into studying, and how necessary the support from families and friends is.

On Friday I opened  Rachel’s Art in the Hopmarket.  Congratulations to Rachel Hall on what is a most interesting venture, and the culmination of years of hard work.

Later the Mayoress and I held a small reception for  His Honour Judge Robert Jukes and wife Fran, to mark his  appointment as Honorary Recorder of Worcester.  He was presented with a certificate to mark the occasion.

The week was rounded off with a great evening at The Swan Theatre, to attend the Friends Variety Show. Congratulations to all those performers who made the evening so enjoyable for the audience and raised much needed funds for the Theatre.