Mayor of Worcester

This week has been the most poignant week of the year with the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I was invited to mark the occasion by the Chairman of the Ukrainian Community in Worcestershire.

The event was at Eden Church in Malvern and the Mayor of Malvern kindly gave permission for me to wear the chain of office, as is customary, outside of Worcester.

At the beginning of the event, we all stood, and the national anthem of Ukraine was sung with the flag paraded.

Thank you was paid to those who have bravely defended Ukraine, with tributes to those fallen and injured. There was also a heart-wrenching video which gave an upfront view of the brutality of the war.

Speeches, which were all very emotional, were made and thank you certificates given out to some lovely people who support the Ukrainian community in many ways. These have included things like accommodation, education and car maintenance, amongst others.

Councillor Lynn Denham, Cllr Brandon Clayton and myself were there on behalf of the councils and we were kindly thanked for our support.

Some brilliantly talented pupils from Ukraine beautifully performed words, music and dance, which all had a meaning.

The event closed with traditional Ukrainian food and gifts, which enabled donations and time to talk.

Ukrainians you are forever an inspiration to me.

Looking ahead to September, I was able to launch Worcester City Runs with Steve Cram, the team, event sponsors and some of those planning to run the event

The event has been going since 2014 and last year over 5,000 competitors took part!

The first-time runners in attendance have been given coaching support, including from Steve Cram, so are in excellent hands.

It is super that they will be kindly sharing their stories with us in the build up to the event, which I am quite sure will be an inspiration for all those future runners out there.

February Fantasia Show!

This week I combined a full week of meetings with a stand-out event, the February Fantasia Show!

The History & Heritage POD at Crowngate Shopping Centre was transformed into a catwalk.

It consisted of a backstage area and judges stand with a seating and standing area, which was more than filled with a lovely audience.

Thank you to both the Crowngate Shopping Centre and the new Coffee Hub open in the POD for allowing the event to be hosted and a quick plug for the Americano which I very much enjoyed.

The event was the brainchild of Remade Worcester, whose fabulous volunteers were involved before, during and after the event.

Remade is an environmental charity shop, a treasure trove of fabric, haberdashery, embroidery, leather, yarn and papercraft, all materials which would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

Not content with just sales it also hosts quite a few community events, regular and one-offs.

Going back to the fashion show, all the outfits worn were made from materials from the shop.

Experienced seamsters made their own and those new to haberdashery and sewing machines were given a helping hand.

Three age categories were used to judge the outfits, up to age 11; 12 to 17; and 18 and over. I was one of the three judges.

I was worried my long time ago GCSE Grade B in Art and Textiles might not be the freshest qualification for judging!

Luckily, I had an artist on one side of me and a clothier on the other, perfect.

All entrants had clearly put a serious amount of effort into their outfits.

All were scored, the numbers totalled up and prizes for first, second and third handed out.

The quality was excellent and all entrants received a certificate. The next stop for them, I’m sure, will be The Great British Sewing Bee.

Time Travel

I travelled through time this week.

I was joined by companions in the form of some super work experience students, Doctor Who’s Tardis would have been very fitting.

I went back over 300 years ago, to 1717, when the Freemasons declared the first Grand Lodge in the world.

A tour of the Worcester Museum of Freemasonry was most enlightening, dispelled many myths and I even met an old friend over the coffee break.

Next, I leapt forward over 120 years, to 1837, the Victorian era, and the excellent exhibition I opened at The Commandery. I walked through Wyldgate Lane, a Victorian Worcester, which was full of real local history and artefacts.

I next made the 20th century, the 1950s, with a musical production of Grease at Christopher Whitehead Language College.

The entire cast were fantastic and the live band.

I then jumped just a decade, to 1939, that was the first known use of the tradition of Lady Paramount, someone who has been chosen to award the prizes at an archery tournament.

I distributed medals for the WA Combined Archery Competition (UK Record Status).

The last move through time was back to current day, first to education, citizenship and politics at school.

I visited Fort Royal Primary School and joined in with some of the Year 5 and 6 classes. I met with the school council, elected members from across the school, in place for the year and doing a grand job.

I also visited Christopher Whitehead Language College and joined a class to talk about local government with some students who were studying politics and some who were interested in how local government works. It was great to engage with the group.

I finished with the Chinese New Celebration, hosted by the Worcester Chinese Association, Engage with China, Museum of Royal Worcester and Worcester Porcelain Works.

The year of the snake. Let it be happy and fortuitous.