Mayor of Worcester

Last week was dominated by services of remembrance for the large number of people who fought to protect our country during the two world wars, and those involved in armed conflicts since that time. Many local people are related to these heroes. We are grateful to the Royal British Legion for organising events and selling poppies. The money raised helps care for injured service personnel and families of those killed or maimed.

I laid wreaths at the war memorial in front of the Cathedral at 11am on 11th November and on Sunday 13th. I also laid wreaths in St George’s Chapel inside the Cathedral and at the grave of Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (Woodbine Willie) in St John’s Cemetery.

These services were very special and people turned out to show their respects. Two minutes of silence in Cathedral Square was especially poignant.

Serving soldiers, volunteer reserves, cadets, British Legion members, police cadets, St John Ambulance and others formed a magnificent procession on Sunday from the Cathedral. The Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire and I took their salute as they passed the Guildhall.

On Friday evening the Cathedral hosted the Lights of Love service for St Richard’s Hospice. A candle-lit service was followed by a gathering at St Andrew’s Spire where the names of loved ones who died from life-limiting illnesses are listed. Those left behind are grateful for this opportunity to share with others their fond memories of those no longer with us.

A much happier occasion was the presentation by the Lord Lieutenant, on behalf of HM The Queen, of a British Empire Medal awarded to the family of Dawn Clements, who passed away before she could receive it herself. Dawn helped save thousands of lives by raising awareness of polio. The infection took the life of her first husband, Birmingham City and England player Jeff Hall, in 1959, aged 29. She worked tirelessly to spread the word about the importance of vaccination.

The highlights of the week were the many events which celebrated the achievements of our young people.

We had the honour of attending two of the nine University of Worcester graduation ceremonies in the Cathedral. This year, a record number of students received well-earned awards for their hard work. The Chancellor, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, attended and we were delighted to share his table for lunch.

Later we enjoyed Walking on Sunshine, performed by Worcester Musical Theatre at the Swan. Talented youngsters from Harlequin Stage School and Wilden and Claines primary schools performed superbly.

The Worcestershire Group Training Association awarded many successful engineering and commercial apprentices at a special celebration event we attended on Monday.

Training Ship Ark Royal celebrated its seventh birthday by awarding some very impressive young cadets, immaculately turned out for their presentation evening.

Finally, young sportsmen and women were recognised at the Hereford & Worcester Sports Partnership’s fifteenth Annual Sports Awards.

Most of these events rely heavily on the efforts of unpaid volunteers and we should all be grateful that they challenge and inspire our young people so that they become confident, successful adults.

King George V Playing Fields (also known as Brickfields Park) is situated in the centre of Rainbow Hill ward, which I represent as a city councillor. I have been working for months with a small number of local people to bring back the fireworks night, which took place on 3 November this year. It was a real pleasure to open the event and to thank those who made it happen. The display was spectacular and gave hundreds of local families a great night out.

The Lions Club’s Charter Evening was at the cricket club on Saturday and I was pleased to thank members for all the very worthwhile activities they organise, to help both local and overseas communities in need.

We returned to the Cathedral on Sunday afternoon for the County Council civic service, at the invitation of chairman Tony Miller.

My Family Fun Day on Friday (28 October) attracted hundreds to the Guildhall. Children jumped on a bouncy castle, watched magicians, had their faces painted, were tattooed with glitter, joined sports activities and coloured in pictures. Parents joined tours of the building and whole families were photographed with me and the sword-bearer. The day was a real success and I hope it can be repeated in the future.

My charities, Midlands Air Ambulance, YHA Breaks for Kids and Action for Children, will all benefit from the public donations received. I thank them all – along with Worcester Community Trust, Freedom Leisure, Miraculous Magic, Rev. Jim Brown and former mayors Pat Agar and Andy Roberts, for entertaining our guests. My thanks also to Tesco St Peters for providing cakes and serving refreshments.

Remembering those who were killed and injured during the two great wars – and many battles since – is important to most of us. We also fondly remember those fortunate to return home safely, but who also protected the freedoms we all enjoy today.

Last Thursday (27 October) I unveiled a poppy sculpture in CrownGate shopping centre and placed the first of 3,000 poppies on the installation. Since then, members of the Royal British Legion have received many generous donations from passers-by who added their poppies and have turned the sculpture into a mass of red petals.

On Saturday, I launched the official start of the Poppy Appeal from the Guildhall steps. There was a short service of remembrance and thousands of poppy petals fell onto the forecourt from above.

Gheluvelt Park on Sunday morning was the location of a moving service focused on our local heroes who served in the Battle of Gheluvelt 102 years ago. Many were killed or injured but they prevented the German advance in Belgium on 31 October 1914. We will remember them with gratitude.

 

 

Every year, Christmas seems to arrive surprisingly early. It feels like it was still summer a couple of weeks ago. Autumn seems to have been very short and we are about to move our clocks back which, for me, signals the start of winter.

On Tuesday, mayoress Lynn and I were surrounded by colourful calendars and Christmas cards when we opened the charity card shop inside the Guildhall. There was an extensive choice of designs and I was impressed that over 70% of the money paid for the cards goes to worthwhile charities. Well done to the volunteers who will be running this shop during the weeks ahead. I’m sure Worcester people will support their efforts.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester launched his latest book Disconnected: Broken Links in Britain’s Rail Policy with a talk at The Hive. This fascinating talk reminded the audience that successive governments have failed to give proper commitment to developing a really good national rail network – little wonder that we have increasingly congested motorways and crowded trains today.

I had the honour of hosting a visit by officials and business people from Anhui in China. Fortunately, they were accompanied by interpreters so that they, and our council leader, cabinet members and officers could understand each other. It is hoped that these early talks will, over time, bring mutual benefits to both Anhui and Worcester.

The Worcester Repertory Company have been staging Shakespeare’s lesser known play King John before sell-out Cathedral audiences and we were lucky enough to have seats for the final show. Coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the death of King John, this production took place next to his tomb, which added poignancy to the atmospheric setting.

We rose early on Wednesday for breakfast with Worcester Vigornia Rotarians at their regular Fownes Hotel gathering. Good to hear plans for collections of food and cash for food parcels for those in need in our city. It must be Christmas!