It’s been a week of contrasts. On Sunday the Mayoress and I had the pleasure of attending the first game of the season for Worcester City Women Football Club. It’s a friendly club, that, just like the men’s team, is run on the massive goodwill of friends, families, supporters and volunteers. The game finished with a one-all draw which I’m told was a good result against their opponents Lye Ladies. Although only about two years old, the club had me thinking I’ll look back at this day in a few years and think that this was the moment that a very successful football team broke into our consciousness.

Later that afternoon we attended the Battle of Worcester (BoW) Drumhead Parade which commemorated 372 years since the final day of the Battle of Worcester on 3rd September 1651. Daniel Daniels, chair of the BoW society, gave an informative speech on Fort Royal Hill. The civil war was a bloody affair and more people died as percentage of the population than in either the First or Second World Wars. On that day alone, the last day of war, one thousand people died. Putting that into perspective the normal population of the city at that time was just 7000. Bodies were strewn all around the city streets.

On Monday it was the funeral for Cllr Andy Roberts. It was held in the Cathedral and such were the numbers present everyone had to share ‘one between two’ the printed orders of service. As many will know, Andy worked his way up the ranks in the fire service to become a senior manager. He had a rich and varied life, he was a friendly and popular man who will be greatly missed by so many people.