Mayor of Worcester

At the start of my mayoral year, I announced that my theme would be coming back together and as my term as Mayor progresses this is becoming more and more apparent that this is happening.

On Thursday I attended the Snoezey Fest Art opening event at Worcester Snoezelen’s impressive premises on the University campus site. I met Jane Roberts, the Chief Officer, Eric Rhodes, the Chair of the Trustees, other trustees, parents, and users of the impressive facilities. I once again met Brigadier Roger Brunt CBE DL who is the charity’s new patron. I last visited Worcester Snoezelen back in 2008 when I was consort to my wife Lucy, who was Mayor that year. This charity art exhibition of works produced by the users will hopefully raise funds for Worcester Snoezelen’s work.

On Friday evening the mayoress and I enjoyed a cruise on the River Severn on board The River King that was organised by the Mayor of Droitwich Spa, Councillor Bill Moy. We departed from Stourport-on-Severn and proceeds from the event were for the Mayor of Droitwich Spa’s Charities.

Today I will be opening the Worcester Festival with a speech at the Guildhall, and I hope the event will be well-supported. It’s great to see many of our venues in the city open again. Earlier in the week, in a non-mayoral capacity, I went to Huntingdon Hall with some friends to hear Nigel Owens, the former international rugby union referee. This was the first event back there since the Covid pandemic.

As a sports fan, it is great to see spectators back again. Last Saturday I travelled up north to watch Sunderland, the football team I support, for the first time since January 2019 and on Tuesday I watched the cricket at New Road. I must be the first Mayor of the city who was pleased the opposition, Durham, won.

Tomorrow I will be at the Worcester Show on Pitchcroft so do come along and see what our city has to offer.

Last Saturday I attended the final evening concert in the Cathedral for the Three Choirs Festival. The Armstrong Gibbs‘s Choral Symphony told the story of Odysseus in an hour-long performance. Two soloists, Ruby Hughes and the South African born baritone Njabulo Madlala accompanied the Festival Chorus which features many local members – including fellow Worcester City Councillor Marjory Bisset.

Afterwards the Mayoress and I were able to meet up with the Festival Chorus at the Thank You Dinner in the College Hall. I would particularly like to thank Grace Green, the Development Manager of The Three Choir Festival and staff and volunteers for the fantastic week of concerts and other events that make up the festival.

On Wednesday it was National Play Day and I had the pleasure of opening a family event held at Gheulvelt Park. Hayley Tally and Phil Weston from Perdiswell Young People’s Leisure Club were the main organisers and showed us around the park where numerous activities were arranged.

They included crafts provided by the Worcester Play Council, face painting and a range of sporting activities from football to archery; the latter I tried rather unsuccessfully! There were also a group rhythm drumming set, which the Mayoress and I joined in. Other attractions included children’s fairground rides, an inflatable slide and there were also free hot dogs for the children. The weather was especially kind and the youngsters enjoyed meeting our dog Monty, who accompanied us around the event.

This week Worcester has hosted The Three Choirs Festival, and as Mayor I am lucky enough to attend at least one of the main concerts that are held in the Cathedral. On Tuesday the Mayoress and I were invited to the Three Choirs Festival reception which was held at the Michael Barker Boathouse which belongs to the King’s School. I was able to meet Dr Alexis Paterson, who is the Chief Executive of the Three Choirs Festival, and Ben Cooper, chair of the Worcester Festival Committee.

With the uncertainty over Covid restrictions it has been a challenge for the organisers to put on a high-quality programme of events, which they have certainly met.

Tuesday’s concert featured the festival commission premiere of The World Imagined, which sets four different poems to a music score composed by Gabriel Jackson, whom I met both before and after the performance. The first half of the same concert included a performance of Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Solemn Prelude, which were debuted at a Three Choirs Festival concert in Worcester Cathedral back in 1899.

After the concert I spoke to some of the audience members, including one couple who come every time from their home in Stone in Staffordshire on their canal boat and stay in Worcester (or Gloucester) for a few days to attend the Three Choirs Festival.

Earlier on Tuesday I attended the launch of the Mount Battenhall Retirement Village. This development of the former St. Mary’s Convent School is very impressive and Neil Davison, Managing Director of Enterprise Retirement Living, showed myself and the Mayoress around. The retirement village, which has an impressive array of facilities, will create new job opportunities.

I only had two mayoral engagements this week, but what a pair!

On Wednesday I attended the Arches Summer Festival celebration at the Mode Bar on Angel Row. The ‘Same But Different Festival’ was staged this week and was responsible for these incredible inflatable structures around the city centre. You can’t not have missed the giant beanstalk sprouting up outside the Guildhall and the tentacles sprouting above the old Russell and Dorell building!

The event, which ended yesterday, also included Kaleider’s Robot Selfie on Cathedral Square and the Showglobes on the High Street.  ‘The City Speaks’, which showcased poetry about recovery written by local people, was co located at St. Martin’s Gate and the South Quay Riverside. I would like to pay tribute to Laura Worsfold, CEO of Severn Arts and her colleagues, for putting on this fantastic festival.

From the newest Festival to Worcester’s oldest, The Three Choirs Festival began today with the opening service in the Cathedral. I was accompanied by His Honour Judge Burbidge in our respective robes to process from the Guildhall the Cathedral. Under normal circumstances we would be joined by the mayors with their sword and macebearers from the other Three Choir cities of Gloucester and Hereford, but today was a much simpler affair.

The opening service, conducted by Samuel Hudson, included performances from Worcester Cathedral Choir, Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir, Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Ensemble, and the organist Nicholas Freestone.

At the time of writing tickets are still available for several concerts.  The Three Choirs Festival runs until 1 August.  You can buy tickets online at https://3choirs.org/ or call the Festival Box Office on 01452 768928.