Mayor of Worcester

By Councillor Adrian Gregson, Deputy Mayor of Worcester

Firstly let me wish you all a Happy New Year from the City Mayoralty! I hope you have had a good festive season and that the coming year for you is happy and peaceful.

The last few weeks have been a time when we think about our families, and for those of us with members across the country it is a great time to be able to meet up – usually. I guess, like me, many of you have had to do a lot of that by phone, or electronically. Hopefully this year has seen a more enlightened view to visits in care homes and hospitals however, which is obviously some sign of improved times ahead. And when we have celebrated together, it has been safe to do so.

Family gatherings also bring to mind memories of loved ones we have lost, and for the Civic Office this last year has been especially poignant, losing Cliff Lord, Jeff Carpenter and now also Aubrey Tarbuck. Their civic and community legacies are remembered along with the memories of their families and friends. Similarly, there was one example of resonance in my own ward of Rainbow Hill, when I recently attended the funeral of Biddy Furlong. Biddy was a stalwart of the local community and it is almost strange to write that I remember attending her 100th Birthday Party a few years ago!

I am sure many of you will have experienced a similar loss, or poignant reminders.

I admit to not being a great fan of the actual New Year ‘celebration’, as colleagues will testify, but there is much to look forward to in this Jubilee year, ranging from the Elgar Festival to the Commonwealth Games! If we can see moral and social responsibility along with consistent guidelines and behaviour, then I genuinely hope that 2022 means things are going to get better.   ,

Last Sunday the Mayoress and I attended the Remembrance Service at Astwood Cemetery. This is an annual ceremony held a week after Remembrance Sunday to specially commemorate those who lost their lives in conflict and are in buried in the War Graves section at the cemetery. The event was organised by the local Royal British Legion, with the Worcester Sea Cadets taking part. Crosses were placed on individual graves, including Polish, Czech, and German servicemen who had lost their lives. I also laid a wreath at the small war memorial positioned close to the Astwood Road exit.

On Monday Paul Harding from Discover History, who played the role of Edward Hurdman (the first mayor of Worcester), joined me to officially unveil a blue plaque in his memory at the entrance to All Saints Church. This is the final resting place of Edward Hurdman and is also opposite the location where he resided as Mayor.

On Thursday I attended the White Ribbon Launch. White Ribbon UK is the leading charity engaging with men and boys to end violence against women. This is the start of 16 days of action to raise awareness to prevent violence before it starts. The event at Warndon Community Centre included stands from various agencies and charities from Worcestershire and the wider West Mercia Region promoting the various services they offer to either prevent violence from happening or help those who have suffered. At the event I signed the pledge to support ‘Time to Change Worcestershire,’ to change negative attitudes and behaviours towards mental health.

The White Ribbon event was organised by Ann Nicholls and her team from Worcester City Council, with the launch event chaired by Ruth Heywood from Worcester Community Trust. The launch event included a question and answer session from County Council’s Paul Kinsella and a short video was shown of a local woman who had experienced domestic violence that was both moving and inspiring.

Last Sunday the city, county and nation were able to gather in large numbers to commemorate the fallen in wars and conflicts. As Mayor, one of the greatest honours and duties is to lay a wreath at the War Memorial outside the Cathedral and join in the thousands who gather for the moving ceremony.

Before the outside public service, another is held in the Cathedral.  I laid a wreath in St. George’s Chapel, as did the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Brigadier Roger Brunt CBE DL and other senior military officers. After both services the Vice Lord-Lieutenant and I took the salute as uniformed organisations both military and non-military marched past.

In the afternoon a small ceremony was held at St. John’s Cemetery at the grave of Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy MC, known to many simply as “Woodbine Willie”. He was the vicar of St. Pauls, Worcester and served as an army chaplain as well as being a war poet. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Adrian Gregson read out one of his poems.  After laying a wreath I said a few words about how he inspired my father, who like Studdert Kennedy, was a socialist cleric and devoted his ministry to serving the impoverished.

On Thursday I was delighted to attend the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Worcestershire’s awards at the Guildhall. The medals and awards were presented by Fire Authority chairman Councillor Kit Taylor, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Brigadier Roger Brunt CBE DL, the High Sheriff of Herefordshire Richard Amphlett and Chief Fire Officer Jon Pryce.

On Friday lunchtime I joined members of the Worcester Ukulele Club, who were raising funds for Children in Need in Crowngate shopping centre. The BBC fundraising campaign has been running since 1927 and as a Friday night telethon since 1980.  It has benefitted countless numbers of children in Worcester over the years.

Last Saturday afternoon the mayoress and I attended the Royal Life Saving Society Honours presentation in the Cathedral. These are national awards, and recipients had travelled from as far as the Republic of Ireland and Northern Scotland to attend.

In the evening the Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra held their first concert since the Covid pandemic began, at St. Martin’s Church. The mayoress and I were treated to Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto (featuring solo performances by Svetlana Mochalova (Cello), Anne Bolt (Piano) and Martin Cropper (Violin)), and Elgar’s Symphony No. 1.

On Sunday I travelled to Redditch to attend the Borough’s Civic Service. The Mayor Councillor Gareth Prosser’s talented granddaughter performed an excerpt from Roland Dahl’s Matilda, who she is currently playing in the stage musical.

Thursday was Armistice Day.  I joined the ceremony at the War Memorial outside the Cathedral and laid a wreath on behalf of the City of Worcester. In the afternoon I attended an honours presentation in the Guildhall. The presentation was by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Brigadier Roger Brunt CBE to Richard John Campbell, who received an MBE.  British Empire Medals were also presented to Tonia Enderbury, the Chief Officer of Droitwich CVS and Craig Browne, vice-chairman of Droitwich Rugby Club.

On Friday afternoon the mayoress and I went to Sixways to attend the Cecil Duckworth Memorial Lunch. Back in 2009 when my wife was mayor, he was granted Freedom of the City of Worcester.

Finally, on the Friday evening we went to Worcester Sixth Form College to see their dazzling production of Chicago.