Mayor of Worcester Blog

This week I joined the Honeywell Bike Bus in Dines Green. It was great to be able to show a bit of Mayoral support for this fantastic initiative.

Not yet familiar with bike buses? A bike bus is a brilliant way to support and encourage primary school children to cycle to school, reducing traffic and giving families the experience of cycling together.

Bike buses can also improve on-road cycling proficiency, with the safety of being directed by adults and surrounded by other children cycling.

Bike bus routes are planned for school runs, marshals and others ride in formation to make sure children on the ride are kept safe from vehicles.

Worcester’s first bike bus was started by Katie and Rob Collier at North Worcester Primary Academy, and Bike Worcester have been doing a great job supporting other parents to set up their own bike bus.

In January 2023 Worcester City Council granted Bike Worcester £1,000 to be used to help start bike buses at other primary schools in the city.

They’ve got flags, vests and banners to publicise bike buses along the journey and outside of schools. They also help share routes and bike bus information to schools and parents, ensuring new bike buses keep momentum and increase interest over time.

Bike buses show the power of, and the demand for, cycling on the school run. Bike Worcester are campaigning for safe routes to school without the need for a bike bus to keep small children safe. Until then, we need to continue to support and expand bike buses in every primary school in the city.

If you want to know more about an existing Bike Bus, or you’d like to volunteer or set up your own, visit the Bike Worcester website. Bike buses are explained in this Youtube video.

Last Sunday it was the Scout’s annual St George’s Day parade. I’m always learning. The sun shone on the hundreds of Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers as they marched past the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Gilbert Greenall taking the salute.

There was a warm positive atmosphere with the High Street packed with proud parents and grandparents. What I had not expected was the Cathedral service just prior to the parade.

I say this in a good way – I’ve never been to a Cathedral service quite like this. Cubs and Scouts have changed a great deal over the years.

The service included lots of singing, audience participation “it’s behind you” and lots of laughs as they put on a short play retelling the story of how St George overcame the dragon in the most engaging way imaginable – at times we were in stitches on the front row.

All of the organisers deserve much deserved thanks – they are all volunteers and do so much in our communities creating a fantastic social environment for our young people.

The Scouts in Worcester meet in 10 groups within our city. With over 1,100 young people and 350 volunteers. Unfortunately, not every area is fully covered. In the north of the city, 12th Worcester would love to open a Scout Troop so the Cubs can move up when they reach 10 years old.

And in WR2 they have a huge waiting list for the Squirrels’ age group of 4-6 years old. They need volunteers to help open these sections.

Society changes and with it so do organisations like the Scouts. They are an inclusive organisation and welcome diversity in volunteering. Whether you work with young people directly, a trustee, or an admin superstar, they are ready to welcome you. Visit Scouts Worcester to express an interest.

Last weekend I attended a charity event for Worcestershire’s Children First fostering service. It was an event organised by Kyle Daisley, Chairman of Worcestershire County Council.

I’ve attended many charity events during my Mayoral year. Every event is a chance to learn something new.

We heard about how foster parents help and support the most vulnerable children in our communities. It breaks my heart to think of the very many children who through no fault of their own are being looked after in a children’s home. Instead of a children’s centre manager, doesn’t every child deserve a warm, supportive and loving real home with parents?

It’s clear that being a foster carer isn’t possible for everyone, however there is something we can all do to help, and that is by talking about fostering. There are nearly 600,000 living in our county – there is a very good chance that there are good people who might be interested to help. But how do we reach them? Somebody somewhere just needs to be asked or given a kernel of an idea that down the line might one day lead to them applying to become a foster parent.

I listened, took their message and now I’m passing that message on. Who do you know that might be interested? You may not have a weekly blog or newspaper column but my challenge to you is to mention fostering to someone you know and ask them in turn to think of someone else that might be interested. Maybe, just maybe as a community someone you mention fostering to, could dramatically change a young person’s life forever.