Mayor’s Week: June 11 – June 18

Mayor’s Week: June 11 – June 18

One of my charities, Severn Arts, has bookended my week with events on the west side of the river. The highlight has to be hundreds of primary school children from across the county coming together in the Arena for the Big Sing – a singing workshop culminating weeks of learning songs at schools to an audience of “very important stern-faced people”. Great to see young people inspired to work together through music and song.

The Jubilee party at Christopher Whitehead’s on Saturday was also full of music, choirs, ukeleles, bongo drums, ice cream and a bit of “Kaos”. The wind proved a challenge for the plastic hats and please don’t ask me to count a band in on time again! Fun for all in the community, young and old.

Talking of old, for anyone of my age or more, the 1980s was an interesting period of political change in UK society and we marked the 40th Anniversary of one of the more significant events, the war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, last week. A short commemorative service at the Guildhall was attended by representatives of the Armed Services and included not only at least one veteran of the war but also some residents from the Islands who were visiting Worcester.

Finally, if anyone sat outside the Exchange in the Cornmarket on Sunday night wondered what was going on, let me tell you! Old St Martin’s Church was having its new communal garden dedicated along with the gates to the churchyard. OSM is 250 years old this year, one of many Georgian church rebuilding projects, and had lottery funding to help revive and re-establish green space at the back. This area is one of great historical significance and the church once ran a parish as far east as Spetchley, beyond what was then the City Wall and the St Martin’s Gate, roughly where the car park is now. Church attendance may not be everybody’s thing these days but St Martins is open to the whole community and this area of the city has long welcomed traders, migrants, musicians, travellers and revellers. And still does.

 

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