Mayor of Worcester

Christmas is coming, and the carol services and nativity plays are in abundance. RGS The Grange did not disappoint, with two delightful examples this last week. The tiny tots were a pleasure to watch and with some participants as young as two, it was an amazing production. Years three and four put on a very professional show, and their delight in performing was a treat to watch.

Worcester District Scouts, together with some very proud parents, filled the Cathedral for their Christmas carol service. The readings were so well delivered, and the carols took us through the Christmas story. In parallel they were supporting the homeless, by collecting a large quantity of warm garments for distribution in St Pauls Hostel and Magg’s Day Centre.

To see how trade was developing in the run-up to Christmas, we took a tour of some independent retailers. Whilst business was under pressure from national chains and the internet, they seemed to be doing ok. Talking to Rick Knowles of Knowles’s Sport, a long standing family business, it was clear that the benefits of buying face to face with a retailer are greater than the online option, which focuses just on price and convenience. Advice and guidance, along with the option to try out products, adds considerable value.

The same could be said of New England Country Store, a lovely shop with a Christmas grotto on the first floor giving the opportunity to touch, feel and see Christmas decorations and accessories in a homely setting. It was here I discovered the upside down Christmas tree and although I’m a bit of a conventional person, I thought these looked very good and, in some circumstances, better than the usual orientation!!

The two and a half hours I spent one evening dressed as Father Christmas and being towed in a “Sleigh” around the streets, proved to be very worthwhile. It was nice and warm inside Santa’s outfit, together with the wig, beard and hat, and the children loved it – together with some quite enthusiastic mums and dads too! This was a “Lions” event to raise money for those less well off, and it proved very successful.

The production of Dr. Faustus at the Sixth Form College was amazing! A very difficult script in some long pieces, delivered faultlessly. How they remembered it all is beyond me. The lead boy and lead girl were outstanding, in fact all the cast were, and I gather they only started rehearsals in September. A brilliant effort – I congratulate them on a first class production.

 

 

Digging the first sod in preparation for our new swimming pool was a great honour and a great pleasure, as it means the pool is well and truly on its way!  The chosen contractors are Speller Metcalfe, a locally based giant in the construction industry.

It’s good to know that we have been able to design an eight lane pool at an affordable level of investment. It will be such a great asset to both our City and swimmers in the wider world, and that it is being built by local people working for a local company. Great stuff!!

The Mayoress and I were invited to an event at the University to celebrate extracurricular work of primary schoolchildren and to award them their “graduation” certificates. We hadn’t heard before the event of this opportunity for children – it was lovely to see their efforts being both recognised and rewarded.

This project, called The Worcestershire Children’s University, is managed by the Children’s University Advisory Board and has been running for two years. It encourages children to become much more involved in local activities, undertake projects to help the environment and to get involved in clubs and their activities. On the day we attended, certificates were awarded to children of Abbeywood First School, Matchborough First School and St Barnabas First and Middle school. It was good to see the pride on their faces!

The Trashion Show put on by Oasis School, Warndon, threw a completely new light on “rubbish”. They had turned unwanted items into clothing and had a fashion show to display their very inventive creations. Not only was it fun for the children, but it also taught them quite a lot about recycling and the environment. Apart from all that, it was thoroughly entertaining!

RGS The Grange Carol and Christingle Service in the Cathedral was superb.   I’m often astonished by the confidence young children have in today’s world. To stand before a full congregation in our Cathedral and not only deliver readings, but to sing and play musical instruments, some giving solo performances, would be daunting for an adult, let along a child. Having seen many children in our schools, I think I can say that our future is definitely in safe hands!!

Two other events worthy of note have taken place: the Daisychain Christmas Tree competition where organisations and companies enter trees to raise money for charitable causes – in this case the Children’s Ward at Worcester Royal Hospital, Riverbank Ward. The trees are on display in the Cathedral Cloisters and well worth a visit. The other event was the Jack and the Beanstalk production at Pitmaston School, produced by Alsorts Performing Arts, which was a delight.

The week started off very well with Fred Seiker’s 100th birthday celebration, which was a delight.  Fred lives here in St Peter’s and as I’ve written in these columns before, he served in Burma in the 2^nd World War and after being captured by the Japanese in 1942, was forced to work on the Burma Railway, known as the Railway of Death.  Fred wasn’t repatriated until 1946 and had suffered greatly.  In 1995 he wrote a Booker prize-winning book, “Lest We Forget”.  Fred remained a Dutch national and never sought British nationality, although he spent much of his time in England.  The delightful event that occurred on his birthday was that, although this meant he wasn’t able to receive a telegram from the Queen, David Cameron, Prime Minister, stepped in and wrote to him personally, making Fred’s birthday complete!

The Three Choirs Festival Chorus and the Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir performed at Buckingham Palace as part of the tercentenary celebrations, concluding with a recital and reception hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales in Buckingham Palace.  It was a great event and a number of us from Worcester were privileged to be there.  You can read more about the occasion and the Three Choirs Association here:- http://www.3choirs.org/

The Mayoress and I had the opportunity to visit Perry Wood School to award Blue Peter Certificates to some pupils, and it was a real pleasure. The children were so appreciative and pleased to receive their certificates and very interested in the Mayoral chain, its history and what it meant. I hope they will take up my offer to visit the Mayor’s Parlour and tour the Guildhall.

The opening of the Victorian Christmas Fayre was a lively occasion and this year it was bigger and better than ever despite the weather, which could have been a lot better.  Chris Bates of LSD Promotions did a remarkable job in pulling all the strings together to deliver such a good Fayre.  There were over two hundred stalls, not only in the High Street, New Street, Corn Market and so on, but reaching into Broad Street, linking Angel Market to the main Fayre.  There were 13 school choirs and over 40 confirmed acts in total across the city streets.  My thanks also go to Sean Roberts, Mark Harrison and also Dave Joins of Cotswolds Markets for provision of stalls.

One of the performances we saw was the Deaf Direct Signing Choir and that exceeded all expectations; it was a ballet of hand movements and facial expression that was captivating.

The Canal and River Trust opened the Diglis Locks to the public, showing them drained and cleared of silt with new lock gates being fitted. Considering the canal network was built 200 years ago it is in remarkable condition. The brilliant craftsmanship, construction and brickwork would be enviable today – and the system still works as it was designed to!

The Canal and River Trust are doing some really great work to keep our waterways as working, open and attractive places to enjoy our leisure time; it’s worth considering joining as a friend, which you can do here: http://support.canalrivertrust.org.uk/donate-now/monthly/ or you can sign up to volunteer at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/volunteer

Our new Fire Station, at McKenzie Way WR4 9GN, was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester. The internal design, layout and usage was largely the result of input by the Fire Fighters themselves and has resulted in a very efficient, workable and practical use of the facility. Not only is it streamlined for very fast response work, but also has a state-of-the-art training facility. The Duke enjoyed a ride in the remarkable turntable extending ladder. When deployed, the fire engine itself is lifted off the ground on hydraulic jacks, creating a level platform in all conditions. A great and reassuring facility, well equipped and manned by a dedicated and committed Team!

It was graduation week at the University. It was very gratifying to see so many young people successfully finishing their studies with such remarkable qualifications and moving off into the wider world well equipped for their working life and, no doubt, as ambassadors of both the University and our great city, Worcester. We are very lucky to have a University with such foresight and a Vice-chancellor with a good strong right arm, which he needs as he has shaken hands with several hundred graduates!

Worcester is one of the fastest growing universities in Britain, with applications remaining buoyant against a falling national picture. Worcester has seen its applications rise three times faster than the national average over the last five years: 20% compared to the national figure of 6.65 per cent. In March 2015, the university won the Guardian University Award for Buildings that Inspire through its development of the University of Worcester Arena, a state-of-the-art sport facility designed specifically to accommodate disabled and able bodied athletes. In 2013 the University won the Guardian award for its contribution to the local community after creating the Hive – the country’s first university and public library.