Mayor of Worcester

Veterans of the Home Guard joined me for tea in the parlour this week. Although they are aged 90 plus, they still display the sense of humour, fighting spirit and comradeship that saw them through World War II.

Some of them are trained engineers, who took on a variety of work, including working in munitions factories. Apparently, the young women on the munitions production line were at least as dangerous as the enemy.

In case readers were wondering, most of the Home Guard veterans and their families are huge fans of Dad’s Army. Will we ever forget, “Don’t tell them, Pike!”

Last week, Phil and I attended the installation of the Bishop of Dudley in Worcester Cathedral. The Bishop of Dudley brings a wide range of experience to his new role from both this country and abroad.

My guests this week also included a lively group from Soroptimist International. This high-powered sisterhood has a keen interest in philanthropy, their community and world events. All of this makes them formidable fundraisers and lobbyists for good causes, as well as tireless community workers. And they seem to have a lot of fun doing all of it too!

On Sunday, Phil and I attended the Mayor of Upton’s civic service, which celebrated Upton’s festivals through folk song, jazz and blues, and were charmed by the choir of the local primary school.

We spent the previous evening at a very pleasant charity dinner given by the Mayor of Droitwich, Councillor Tom Noyes. I acquired a spa voucher in the charity auction and plan to have a pampering day sometime soon.

Mr John Black, a past President and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, kindly gave the annual Mayor’s Medical Lecture on Wednesday evening. The audience was spellbound by his account of Surgeons, War and Worcester.

During his working life in Worcester, Mr Black pioneered keyhole surgery in the city. My thanks to him for a memorable lecture.

I was honoured to receive the salute from the Scouts’ march past, following a St George’s day service at the Cathedral. One scout troop joined Phil and I for tea in the Parlour and tried on the regalia. They had some interesting questions about the Parlour and the city’s history.

On Saturday, I attended the launch of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Crowngate. I am intending to participate myself, this year, so I will see you on the starting line on Sunday 6 July! Wolverine fans will be glad to know they will be at the race, too.

WODS production of Guys and Dolls was superb! If you are a fan of the original film, you are sure to like this production. There are strong performances from all of the principals and barnstorming musical numbers like Sit down, you’re Rocking the Boat; Luck, Be a Lady; Guys and Dolls, and Sue Me. Tonight’s the last night. Don’t miss it!

Last Friday, the Mayor’s annual charity dinner was held in the Guildhall, co-hosted with Worcester Rotary. The Volcano choir energised guests with their high octane performance. Many thanks to them, to Worcester Rotary and to our guests for their generosity to our charities.

 

 

The Inge family are very much in our thoughts and prayers this week after the sad news that Denise, wife of Bishop John, died a few days ago. It feels much too soon to lose this vibrant lady.

It was a special pleasure to welcome a group from Asha Women’s Centre to the Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall, this week. This knowledgeable group was especially interested in the roll of honour, which lists all of the city’s mayors since 1836. The date is important because the great Reform Act of 1832 meant that local government became democratic for the first time and local councillors had to be elected, rather than appointed.

Just before Easter, Lisa Ventura and her husband Russell launched Worcester’s newest charity, Frankie’s Legacy. As readers may know, Frankie did not survive birth. He had a cleft palate and an abnormality on chromasome 15 that causes a range of disabilities. Frankie’s Legacy hopes to provide some comforte for parents who find themselves in a similar situation to the Venturas. Details of Frankie’s Legacycan be found at www.frankieslegacy.org.uk.

Worcester’s choral heritage is safe in the hands of the next generation of young singers – the Young Voices choir practically levitated with enthusiasm as they sang. This impressive young choir is still recruiting singers. You can find them in St George’s Church, Barbourne, on Saturday mornings.

Rotary President’s Night at the Guildhall was a splendid affair, as they celebrated 90 years of Rotary in Worcester. I wish I had made notes! We heard so much about the early years of Rotary in the city and about the strong link between the early Rotarians and the mayoralty. Rotary’s service to our local community and far beyond has been outstanding.

How can we make the most of Worcester’s rich heritage and attract more visitors to the city?

This was the question on the minds of everyone who attended the City Council’s presentation of “Worcester, the Civil War City,” at the Guildhall. Consultants confirmed something Worcester people already know: The Civil War is in Worcester’s DNA. 

The Commandery is at the heart of our city’s story. When you visit this atmospheric building, you can almost smell the gunpowder. And where else can you find a civil war battle in a cathedral city with a riverside and a wealth of historic buildings? The shopping is terrific, too! In short, Worcester is unique.  Encouragingly, 70% of people recently surveyed were keen to visit a city with heritage assets like ours.

Dancers at the Blessed Edwards’ Performing Arts Evening performed tap, modern and ballet routines, while music and vocals ranged from classical to pop, as well as musical drama. I particularly enjoyed the selection of songs from their previous bravura performance of Les Miserables.

Worcester Concert Brass gave us a wonderful evening of music with a local flavour in aid of the mayor’s charities. They played favourites, such as Elgar’s Nimrod, Holst’s Jupiter, and the Malvern Suite by Philip Starke. The concert concluded with the world premiere of Faithful City by Chris Licence – you can clearly hear the river and the bustle of the city centre in this lively work.  Many thanks to the band for a memorable evening!

Finally, I would like to say two very big thank yous to Frankie Tsang and the Worcester Chinese Association, and to the Worcester Male Voice Choir, who have raised a total of £4,300 for the Mayor’s charities. It was a magnificent effort and greatly appreciated.