Mayor of Worcester

Worcester and District Scout Group have had an action packed year, with a huge range of activities and achievements, including a new Queen’s Scout.  It was an honour to chair their Annual General Meeting. No wonder they have a waiting list of 114 young people waiting to join!

Later in the week, St George’s Primary School and their Spanish exchange students joined me for a tour of the Guildhall. They particularly enjoyed their tour of the cells and trying on the mayoral regalia.

Sight Concern have mounted a truly impressive art exhibition at The Commandery, and I was delighted to attend their special preview evening. Window On Our World includes work of breathtaking quality – you will want to buy their prints and post cards – they are irresistible!

Thursday was a day of endings and beginnings – the Mercian Regiment received their new colours from HRH Prince Charles. It was a memorable spectacle to see the old colours publicly paraded for the last time before being laid up in the Cathedral the following day.

The regiment now has a new colonel and when it returns from Afghanistan next year, one of its four battalions will be retired. Their regimental mascot, Derby the ram, is also retiring, due to arthritis.

At the end of the parade, families and friends cheered the regiment off the field and roared a welcome to the veterans’ march past. It was a magnificent and moving occasion.

My week ended with the Wild Goose Open Day and Story Telling at Top Barn, tea in the parlour with members of the Home Guard, the Mayor of Bewdley’s civic service and a service of thanksgiving at the Cathedral to celebrate 60 years since HM The Queen’s coronation.

Each year, the Guildhall receives a lot of international guests, but this week saw the arrival of two very special Australian visitors with a personal connection to Worcester and to the Guildhall.

Mr Garry Convery and his aunt, Mrs Grace Alettin, came in search of their ancestor, John Skeen.  Mr Skeen was convicted at the Lent Assizes in 1819 – held in the Guildhall – and transported to Australia. It was that decision that led, generations later, to my visitors being born in Australia.

Mr Convery and Mrs Alettin were able to see the Mayor’s Parlour, which was used as a court room at the start of the 19^th Century, and the cells under the Guildhall, where John Skeen would have been held before his trial.

Since then, Mr Convery has sent us further details of John Skeen’s story, which will be added to the Guildhall archive.

Many thanks to Mr Convery and Mrs Alettin for sharing their family history with us. Tours of the cells will never seem the same again, now that I know of such a personal connection to them.

As I was away for part of the week, some of my duties were taken on by the Deputy Mayor, Paul Denham.

Paul Denham writes:

As Worcester’s contribution to National Volunteer Week, 40 voluntary groups descended on the Guildhall on Friday. The purpose was to attract new volunteers and share ideas. I heard how volunteers really enjoyed helping local people to cope with illness, old age, loneliness and money worries, and how carers are supported.

This small army of volunteers provides services not available from councils or government and they all deserve our heartfelt thanks.

The Swan Theatre was filled with sounds of the 1970s by Voices Unlimited  singing to a full house on Saturday evening.

This fantastic, energetic city vocal group of 120, coached by Ria Keen, raised the roof. Elvis Presley was brought back to life by Kevin Paul and the deputy Mayoress and I thoroughly enjoyed this nostalgic two hour rollercoaster.

 

My Mayoral week began with a particularly pleasant invitation to judge a speech competition at St Barnabas Primary School.

Younger contestants recited poems and older competitors gave talks on the theme, “My Favourite Modern Invention.” X – Boxes, mobile phones, karate, and even a well-known brand of make up were among the favourite inventions chosen.

By the end of the morning, I was better informed about all of these inventions, and greatly impressed by the standard of speaking and research.

Such competitions take place thanks to a partnership between local Rotarians and city schools.

On Tuesday, over 40 people became British Citizens in a ceremony at County Hall. They took an oath and received certificates of citizenship.

Citizenship Ceremonies can be quite emotional occasions – when we concluded with the National Anthem, I am sure there was not a dry eye in the room.

Congratulations to all our new citizens living in Worcestershire!

Later in the week, I witnessed the opening of bids for the next stage of planning for the new swimming pool. There is still a long way to go before the council make a decision, but we are one step nearer.

My Consort, Phil, and I ended our week with Mayor-Making in Kidderminster. Stepping down were Mayor John Aston and the Mayoress, Mrs Madeline Craddock, who had raised £12,000 for charity during the year. The new Mayor, Councillor John Campion, was formally invested and took the oath of office.

I also managed to have coffee and cake with Worcester Lions, who organise two or three coffee mornings a year at the Guildhall, raising thousands of pounds for local charities annually. I can recommend the coffee and walnut cake.

Earlier this week, I was very honoured to become Mayor of Worcester, with my husband, Phil, as consort. Last weekend, as Deputy Mayor, I attended the Young Fire Fighters’ passing out parade and a charity ball given by Mayor Ann Taft of Droitwich. The Young Fire Fighters demonstrated impressive discipline and teamwork. Their guests now know the proper way to deploy a fire hose and ladders.

We also joined the Royal British Legion for a special evensong at the cathedral to remember veterans of the Korean War, which proved a particularly moving experience.

On Monday evening, we attended the Mayor Making in Evesham and will be joining Evesham’s Mayor and Mayoress, Mark and Emma Goodge, again for their civic service this Sunday.

Worcestershire Action for Youth (WAY) held their AGM in the Medway Centre this week. They are going from strength to strength, thanks to a hard working team and the indefatigable leadership of Ian Craigan. WAY provide activities and resources for work with young people across the county in partnership with schools and charities.

At the Worcestershire Red Cross Volunteers Awards ceremony, Phil and I discovered that the Red Cross do so much more than first aid. They provide help and support for people coming out of hospital, wheelchairs and equipment, schools programmes, care in the home, first aid training and much more. We also met volunteers who have given years of service to the organisation, including one energetic lady, Helena, who was celebrating 50 years as a Red Cross volunteer.

Saturday saw the arrival of the third Worcester Motor Festival in the city centre. Memories of classic films, like the “Italian Job,” were evoked by the glamorous vintage vehicles. Racing driver Zoe Wenham was on hand with her Ginetta G50 – Zoe will be driving at Silverstone again soon. And there’s nothing quite like the romance of Worcestershire’s own Morgan cars – I learned the best way to climb in and out of a Morgan three-wheeler, which is easier than you might think.