Mayor of Worcester Blog

Worcester has been entertaining students from its twinned town of Kleve in Germany these last two weeks. It was good to get these links back up and running after the pandemic and to see international visitors touring the Guildhall.

We had some locals in as well, with an event all about the history of the Guildhall and its origins since 1227 for Worcestershire Ambassadors. Served with local pies and local cheese, they got a taste of life in the cells too, before seeing the magnificent Assembly Rooms. We have only four years to crack on with plans to mark the 800th anniversary.

The front of the Guildhall is ornate, detailed and eye-catching, but in style and age the Old Bishop’s Palace on Deansway is very comparable, and has a much better view of the river – even in the dark! The Bishop was kind enough to invite a few of us to mix and network and I came away with quite a list of things to do and people to contact, both for work and the Council.

I have attended two funerals this week of men significant not just in their own communities but also for the wider Worcester. Jem Richardson, who I propped with many times in my rugby days, was a newsagent et al of St. John’s, passionate, genial, avuncular and well-liked. He was a stalwart of the rugby club. And then Ali Asghar, a founder of the Muslim Welfare Association and Racial Equality Council. Another friendly, genuine man who crossed the boundaries of the city. Both sadly missed, before their time.

Finally, my Mayor-Ale Trail kicked off successfully in The Tything this week. Pubs give support and social contact to people and are often the heart of a community but are suffering through the cost-of-living crisis, coming after the closures of the pandemic. I won’t bore you with a tale of each one every week but keep your eye on Twitter and join me!

It is 78 years since Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau but the images and memories never fade for the survivors of the Holocaust. We were privileged to hear first hand from Mindu Hornick MBE as we marked this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day last week.

Secondary school students from across the city joined civic and faith representatives, rapt at her experience. We heard readings on the theme of ordinary people like you and me, having allowed this to happen. Still allowing it to happen in places across the world. And left sombre and moved by hauntingly beautiful music and the pledge of young people to remember the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur and Bosnia. Our concern must be, where next.

Over the weekend I was really pleased to read out best wishes from Hezhou at our own Chinese New Year celebrations held at the Porcelain Works site. Lots of people of all ages watched the Lion Dances, firecrackers, and the giant panda as we welcomed the year of the rabbit. I am one – how many more of you are equally blessed with longevity, peace and prosperity? Not being much of one for symbols and beliefs, I was nevertheless struck by the fact that my zodiac sign is a water element too.

Nice to see friends there from way back and also some of the students from China who had been to the Parlour a few weeks ago.

The Deputy Mayor and I had a good catch up with our ‘esses’ talking about life in the Parlour and the amazingly diverse people and things you get to meet in this role. What I’ve found helpful and what he can look forward to.

But I finished the week still thinking about Mindu and hope that her message to us all means we can stop being ‘ordinary’.

 

Sweets, history, ancient and modern, and questions of morality have made to an interesting week at the coal face.

In mourning the passing of Mr Simms sweet shop we must say, long live Mr D! We opened a new venture, same premises on the High Street and bought a few samples for later.

I was with the Council’s Army Covenant Champion to meet veterans young and old with the Shadow Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP. These trips are always interesting and an opportunity to reflect on our recent history and Worcester’s long engagement with the military and public service.

That longer history was reflected at a meeting of a resurgent Partnership concerning the Battle of Worcester in 1651. A lot of our modern identity is rooted in that last battle of the English Civil Wars, not least our heritage and tourism offer so a drive to raise awareness with the aim of education and economic investment is very welcome. Events and visitor trails are promised. With the support of the Mayor, the MP and the Joint Leader of the Council let’s hope for progress.

And so to morality. Whether your favourite version is Frank Sinatra or Louis Armstrong (mine), Mack the Knife is a classic song – but who knew it was from the Threepenny Opera, written by Brecht, based on an 18th century satire of Italian operas? Well the Sixth Form College do now – and they delivered a slightly cleaned up (really???) production with a talented and emotional performances. The leads were great and a strong chorus and rhythmic band backed them up wonderfully in a play of misery and questionable morals. There was no place to hide on the front row, from the beggars and the tarts but I shall treasure my invitation to the coronation!

 

The Almshouses provided by Worcester Municipal Charities are a key partner in providing social housing, not through new build, but through adapting and renovating their existing properties. It was indeed wonderful to be able to open, along with our MP, another four flats in Ingelthorpe’s Yard at the back of the Hopmarket last week. WMC now have 100 flats for the single homeless and retired. Even more astonishing is that this charity has been going since the 1590s but a sad sign we still need them in the 21st century. It was great to see old friends and colleagues at the event too, people dear to me over the last 35 years.

At the other end of the scale, the Apprenticeship Awards for schemes run through Hereford and Worcester Group Training. Around 300 people attended Sixways (can’t say that too often these days) for the ceremonies, certificates and excellence awards. Vocational apprenticeships are as valuable as qualifications achieved in academia, plus you get paid! And they are not only for young people leaving school and college, but a large number of people with jobs are using the apprenticeship model to further their careers or even change careers. Really well done!

In between I had a long conversation with the City Council Managing Director about what is going on now and planned for the future in Worcester, across art, culture, employment, investment, development, heritage, tourism, housing, cost of living, flooding, and of course Millwall.

Worcester Twinning Association met this week to receive reports from the various towns we are linked with in France, Germany and Lithuania, and beyond. Indeed I had had New Year greetings to us all from our sister city in China, Hezhou, ahead of the Chinese New Year celebrations due next week. It’s the year of The Rabbit, in case you were wondering.