Mayor’s Week: 6 – 13 March 2020

Mayor’s Week: 6 – 13 March 2020

It’s been one of those weeks that I wish had included a couple of extra days, instead of the usual seven – a comment I make both on account of the number of engagements and the satisfaction that stemmed from them.

Bollywood it wasn’t, but on Thursday I turned into a film star for a video to promote Polish Independence Day:  soon to be seen a screen near you!

I was delighted, too, to mark the achievement of Kevin Haines and Mark Bates, two gentlemen who’ve served a total of half a century with the City Council’s Operational Services team.

It’s a bleak day when you don’t learn something new – and the news that the 49th Regiment of Foot, an infantry unit raised in 1743 (later the Worcestershires), fired the first shots in what became the American War of Independence.  I learned this snippet at a dinner held to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Massacre.

A particular privilege of being Mayor is the pleasure of showing youngsters (and sometimes not quite so youngsters) some of the Guildhall’s mysteries – three times this week, my guests being students from RGS Springfield and New College, and two high-profile Palestinian ladies.

Two large-scale civic events also dominated the week – Kidderminster Mayor David Ross’s glitzy Ball held in the Town Hall on Friday and the Annual civic service in Gloucester Cathedral and reception in the Guildhall.  For some reason, both times I found myself humming ‘Nobody Does It Better’ and thinking of Worcester.

Another annual event that goes from strength to strength is the National Careline Retirement Show that I had the privilege of opening on Saturday, but I have to say that Sight Concern’s ‘Walk the Mile Blindfold’ initiative, planned for next month but for which I took part in a pre-publicity photoshoot on Tuesday, is particularly poignant.  The week’s other engagements included the Bishop Lloyd Charity’s governors’ meeting, a 90th birthday celebration and an induction event for new Council staff.

I can’t sign-off this week without a word on the hot topic of the day: Coronavirus.  Please heed all the warnings, and stay safe.

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