Mayor of Worcester

The final major battle of the English Civil War was fought in Worcester on the 3rd of September 1651.

375 years ago, here in our city, King Charles II was trying to regain the throne after his father, Charles I, had been executed.

He had marched into England with a mainly Scottish Royalist army and was trapped in Worcester. Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarian army surrounded the royalists. Thousands were killed or captured.

To commemorate this event, the Battle of Worcester Society (alongside the Sealed Knot, reenactors, commandery staff, cathedral clergymen and volunteers) held several very well attended events.

Over a few short days, I attended some fantastic history talks. I learnt how to fire a musket, how to wield a pike, and how to practise 17th-century medicine.

We also enjoyed a great meal in the Bishop’s Palace, where the dress code was Roundhead, Cavalier or black tie. Thank you to everyone who has worked all year to make the events happen.

My Inaugural Sessions was another event. I got to wear my civic dress and play bass guitar while I did so. My face still hurts from smiling.

It was so wonderful to welcome so many local musicians, people who have played in Worcester many times before and new bands.

It was especially nice to see some of my ex-students take the stage as Director’s Cut.

Thank you to the whole Guildhall team, to Bottles bar, Carl Freeman, Severn Event Services and my wonderful charity: Onside for helping us make history.

Next time for less serious dressing up: Worcester Comic Con.

Although, there were some seriously impressive outfits at the costume competition.

I had an extremely difficult time picking the winners with the other judges. Win or lose, everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time and the whole area was awash with colours, glitter, masks and wild wigs. Thanks to Zoe Crofts and the team for inviting us.

On Tuesday I was back in the robes for the first day of Worcester University graduations.

There were hundreds of students graduating in Worcester Cathedral but it never got less exciting to see each one of them receive their qualification.

Each so filled with joy and eagerness about their future. It is wonderful to think that, no matter where they go, Worcester will still be a part of their journey.

Although, I am selfish and I hope all of these brilliant minds stay right here in our wonderful city.

Thank you to the Worcester University team and the team at the Cathedral for inviting me to the event and for introducing me to the wonderful Toyah Willcox, who received her honorary doctorate. She was an incredibly kind person and an inspiring speaker.

The idea of a twin city or twin town came after WW1, when soldiers who had witnessed the devastation in northern France raised funds towards the rebuilding of Poix-du-Nord’s community centre.

This practice grew in popularity after WW2 playing a role in promoting reconciliation and reconstruction in western Europe and continues today as a way to foster links and friendships between communities to prevent future conflicts.

In 2006 Worcester entered into a friendship agreement with Vernon, in France. This was to mark the significance of the Worcestershire Regiment’s support during the Second World War.

In August 1944 the Worcestershire Regiment helped the resistance fighters to liberate Vernon and further liberate Northern France and the Low Countries.

This year marks 20 years of friendship with Vernon and I was so glad to see so many people come to visit our wonderful city.

A great thank you to the Worcester Twinning Association for organising the week.

I particularly enjoyed giving a tour of the Guildhall and sharing cake in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Thank you also to the Worcestershire Regiment for organising the lovely wreath laying that they do every year at Gheluvelt Park to signify our continued commitment to friendship with the people of Vernon and ensure their liberation will be remembered.

This week we also were able to visit The Men’s Shed in St Clement’s Church.

I brought my dad along, who was very excited to visit because it takes place in the crypt of the church.

My dad used to visit the church about once a fortnight because he attended St Clement’s Primary School and it was very surreal for him to be back.

We also both very much enjoyed the shed.

It was wonderful to meet some of their members and see the fantastic projects they are working on.

I saw their woodwork, including a brilliant wooden fox that will be placed in a few of our parks.

A group of women were creating some glass artwork, including a piece that was going to replace a diamond of glass in one of the doors in their home.

My dad also just enjoyed having a cup of tea with the other men and talking about his days working as a farm labourer. I really hope he goes back for another visit soon.

I am looking forward to the many celebratory events we have lined up later this week for the 375th Anniversary of the Battle of Worcester.

I know that The Battle of Worcester Society have spent a lot of time organising events that will bring the history to life for so many people and I look forward to joining them.

It has been a fantastic week of celebrating Worcester’s history.

There are so many things in Worcester that we have been doing for so long that no one really knows when we started.

For example: The Cathedral Ferry.

The first time the ferry’s existence was formalised was in 1378, but it is quite likely that a ferry service was operating near the Cathedral for a long time before that. Dorris, the current boat, was probably built in the early 1960s and must have carried thousands of passengers across the Severn.

Many volunteers train rigorously to be able to say they rowed people across the river, like so many have before. It was not my first trip across, as I went many times when I was a child, though this was usually from the west river bank to the east, however it was Alaric, my Consort’s, first time across.

The first recording we have of Worcester City Chess Club was a piece about its reformation in the 1830s so it is another tradition whose beginnings are lost.

Worcestershire Closed Chess Congress took place this weekend and keen players from across the county travelled to Worcester to take part.

There was absolute silence when I first entered the hall on the Sunday.

The final few games were playing out, deciding who would be the overall champion, the giant slayer and many other fun prizes that the team had come up with.

There were many awards to give out at the end and I particularly enjoyed the Odyssey Prize.

Players were unaware that throughout the two-day tournament, the arbiter and his assistant were keeping track of how long they spent in each game. The player who spent the most hours received a glass trophy, printed with a ship.

We do know how many Worcester Festivals there have been. This year marks the 24th year that the festival has provided a huge range or free and low cost activities for people of all ages.

I was so pleased to help open the festival and take part in their samba band.

It has been a few years since I taught samba to young people but it was nice to get back into the rhythm.

It was lovely to meet Percy the Festival Peacock, who also joined in with the shakers.

Already from the first event it was easy to see how much joy the festival brings people each year and I hope the rest of the festivities will be just as successful.

It has been a quieter week.

I have had a number of meetings this week to start planning some of the events and projects I would like to deliver over the coming months.

My theme for the year is community. I chose it because I believe there has never been a more important time to celebrate the power of people coming together.
At a time when the world can often feel divided, I want to focus on the things that unite us and on making sure that everyone feels they have a place in our city.

So many of my events I have been planning are focused on how we can bring different parts of our community together.

One of the things I have particularly enjoyed so far as Mayor is meeting young people across Worcester. This week I have been starting to think about some projects I would like to set up with our high schools and sixth forms for this academic year.

I am hoping we can create opportunities for young people from across Worcester to get involved in civic life, meet people they might not normally meet and feel that their ideas and voices are valued.

Of course, an important part of this year is also raising awareness and funds for my chosen charity, Onside. Their work is rooted in the belief that everyone has the right to be valued and treated fairly.

I have already had so many great opportunities to work with them this year and the more I hear about their work, the more pleased I am to be supporting them, and I am looking forward to finding different ways to raise money and awareness for them over the coming months.

This weekend the diary gets a little busier again. I am really looking forward to the Worcester Festival. I hope this will showcase the work of so many brilliant people in our city. Hopefully it will be dry but if we do have more rain, I am sure we would be glad for it.

I am also looking forward to the Worcestershire Chess Congress. I already know so many keen chess players have signed up to this huge event in the Worcester Chess calendar and I am looking forward to presenting the awards. I just hope they don’t ask me to play chess with them because I wouldn’t stand a chance.

It should be a great weekend and, after a week of planning what is coming next, I am looking forward to getting back out and seeing more of Worcester in action.