Mayor of Worcester

Last weekend saw the best of the City; I was honoured to host the Lord Lieutenant, MP Robin Walker and local leaders to officially open photographer Mike Sheil’s Fields of Battle – Lands of Peace exhibition, which is located in Cathedral Square for the rest of the month..

Mike and the Lord Lieutenant powerfully delivered inspirational speeches regarding the First World War and the fact that this was a truly global War.  They particularly highlighted the vast number of lives which were sacrificed and lost for the Empire and the Crown from Africa and India –in fact many more than were lost from the UK. The exhibition is about peace and reconciliation.  We are privileged to have it here in Worcester – and it’s free, so I urge you to go and see it!

After that I made a quick dash up to Acorns Hospice to say a massive thank you to the volunteers and staff there who were celebrating their 30th Birthday.  Well done Acorns, keep up the great work!

The irony of the peace and reconciliation theme for the Fields of Battle exhibition was not lost when I attended the pro peace march in the city centre later that day.  I was proud and humbled to have witnessed the amount of people that came out in to support my message of Love not hate, and who made use of the Worcester News ‘Best of Worcester’ hashtag.

I would like to thank the Police, emergency services and other agencies for a brilliant and well managed operation.

In the evening we were joined by the Cromwell Association for a procession to the Commandery to mark the annual Drumhead Ceremony.  This was a delightful occasion as always, witnessed by around a hundred people on top of Fort Royal Hill.  It finished with a gun and cannon salute.

Finally I joined Cllr Chris Mitchell in the Guildhall to witness the Peaky Blinders themed boxing night.  Well done to the organisers and Guildhall staff for a well managed event – and to the participants who raised thousands for Birmingham Children’s Hospital – a cause close to my heart.

At the final count I was knocked out cold!  A day that truly showed the best of Worcester.

The Bank Holiday Weekend provided another opportunity to showcase what is great about the City.  It also saw the culmination of another successful Worcester Festival.

On Saturday morning I officially opened the new Spitfire-themed Perdiswell play area.  Dozens of children joined me to celebrate the history of the site and enjoy the activities on offer.   Our investment in our parks as a city has been consistent with our aim of having the best kept and maintained parks in the UK; well done to all!

On Sunday I was privileged to open the One World in our Park event at Fort Royal, which is the ideal manifestation of my Love Not Hate theme. Hundreds gathered from all sections of the community, coming together in our common goal of a united world living in peace and harmony.  There were some great activities on offer, and there was also an opportunity to witness my out of time Bhangra dancing; sorry! Thank you to the Friends of Fort Royal, the City Council, sponsors Mathews Construction & Fortis Living for a great event.

Chris Jaeger has done so much for the arts in Worcester.  I and many others in the City are grateful for his undying love and commitment to keeping them flourishing! The Festival has been the best in years and the atmosphere in the city very positive. The Finale saw the English Symphony Orchestra perform at the Swan Theatre, playing a wide variety of classics followed by a spectacular display of fireworks which I was fortunate enough to have witnessed from the top of the Cathedral, by kind invite of the bell ringers.  A night to cherish and remember!

Today we will see the EDL once again coming to the City.  It is important to re-enforce my message of Love not Hate; we all have a right to peacefully demonstrate and it is only too right to do so if you are protesting against something we believe in. But it must be done respectfully and in good spirit – please take the opportunity to show the best of who we are.

It was good to hear that the former RGS student and Worcestershire Cricketer Imran Khan has been inaugurated as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.  It is a great honour no doubt for RGS and for the cricket club; I hope the city can acknowledge him in some way. I wish him well in his tenure.

This week I was privileged to be asked to officially dedicate a Blue Plaque to John Perrin and Sons at 6 Mealcheapen Street. John Perrins was a brilliant gun maker whose beautiful hand crafted pieces were the benchmark in gun making in their heyday, and went as far as the Wild West.  A collection of these guns was present at the Guildhall and we were treated to a captivating history lesson about them by Vaughan Wiltshire.  Hopefully an exhibition will follow soon. Yeee Haa!

The Worcester Festival goes from strength to Strength and on Saturday the Guildhall became alive with laughter, music, cheering and fun. The Mayors Family Fun Day turned out to be a huge success, with The Rock Choir and the Toy Soldier Band from Melton Mowbray keeping all of us entertained.

Thanks goes to everyone who made it a success – especially my Companion for the Day, Claire Brunt, who had a fantastic time and was the real star of the day. I learned about Claire’s Downs Syndrome condition and how she has adapted her life to it.  She truly stole the show with her infectious smile and brilliant dancing!

Sajeeda and I were grateful for the opportunity of meeting Claire and the hundreds of visitors on the day who supported us and our charities. The joy of seeing others happy and enjoying themselves is spiritually uplifting and nourishing. We hope everyone has a brilliant weekend and enjoys the fireworks on Bank holiday Monday!

The launch of the Worcester Festival saw a huge crowd gather outside the Guildhall to welcome the magnificent Gugge 2000, a brilliant feel good brass and percussion band in exuberant costumes who had travelled from Bournemouth to entertain us and create a wonderful buzz of excitement in the city.

It was a pleasure to visit all the stall holders at the Riverside Arts Fayre on South Quay. The stall holders and their wares captured the imagination with the breath-taking and elaborate art on display. Thank you to the organisers for making this happen.

Worcester went quackers when hundreds of people lined the bridge and riverside to witness the St Richard’s Hospice Duck Race. An amazing £2,800 was raised on the day for this brilliant charity. It was a sight to behold, my favourite decorated duck, El Quacko, led a good race before running out of quacks. I was ensured no ducks were harmed in the process!

The bells were calling on Sunday morning when I decided to tackle my vertigo and head for the dizzy heights of the Cathedral tower, where I was enthralled with the bell ringers and witnessed their mini peel. Worcester is a world leader in bell ringing and our training facilities and school are the envy of the bell-ringing world. Not only is this a skill that requires timing and rhythm, it also provides a good work out – so it may be time to hang up the cricket boots!

The Worcester Show was a big success, with thousands visiting Gheluvelt Park despite the rain. The sheer variety of activities and stalls on offer meant there was something to suit every taste or need. A huge logistical effort meant this was another smooth operation and successful event. Thank you to organisers and city council officers for a show that keeps growing in stature and prestige year-on-year.

I am as always proud and humbled to live in this wonderful city which has so much good will and love, and so much to offer.