Mayor of Worcester Blog

I was delighted to attend the final of the Stay Safe design competition, giving schools an opportunity to enter an idea or concept for a phone app that both raises awareness of cyber bullying and helps students to stay safe. The project is led by the Police and Crime Commissioner and supported by our University.  Neil Westwood, the successful Dragon’s Den Magic Whiteboard contender, also supported this project and was one of five judges.

The schools represented at the final, held at the Riverside University Building, were Abbey Park Middle School, Blessed Edward Oldcorne College, St John’s Foundation Middle School and Woodrush High School. The winning team were St John’s Middle School and their project will go on with University support to fruition, but it was very close as all the entrants had done a superb job in drawing together the framework for a successful app.  In fact I thought they were so close that I would have made them all winners and combined their efforts into one joint team!

Each group presented their ideas so well and answered questions with great confidence in front of a crowded lecture hall. Once again this answers the question, “Does Worcester have talent?” Well, if this wasn’t enough to answer the question with a resounding yes, then the production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by Bishop Perowne School, which was brilliant, would have absolutely confirmed that the talent in our schools and colleges is there and being well nurtured by our teaching staff.   Very well done, it was a great production well acted and made for an enjoyable evening and clearly the cast and production team were very enthusiastically engaged and thoroughly enjoying it.

The last few weeks have had me worrying about my decision to replace the annual mayor’s funding dinner with something a little different. In a moment of madness I cancelled the dinner and substituted a Saturday night Frog Racing Event!  To make it work we needed around 80-plus attendees and less than a week prior to the event only 47 had signed up. It was nearly cancelled!  We decided to run with it come what may and on the night over 100 people came. It proved to be a great success with everyone and, apart from having a really good time, we raised £2,700 for our charities and I could breathe again, thank goodness!

I must thank the Cotswold Frog Racing Team for coming to Worcester and for their tremendous input into delivering the most fun evening the Guildhall has witnessed in recent times. Thank you very much indeed and we in Worcester are very grateful.

This organisation, just four people, travel all over the place setting up events like ours and over the years they have raised in excess of £350,000 for charities. They ask nothing in return and contribute enormously to the success of the event. Hopefully one day they may be recognised for the great work they do.

The first Health Futures University Technical College (UTC) has now officially been launched with Lord Baker, Chairman of the Baker Dearing Trust, unveiling a plaque at an event I attended. The college is located in West Bromwich and aims to create the next generation of health care specialists, healthcare practitioners, leaders and career scientists.  Some twenty health, education and public sector organisations from across the West Midlands have come together to form this partnership, rarely seen in traditional schools and colleges, enabling a combination of national qualification teaching and hands-on project learning under the supervision of healthcare professionals.

Over 250 students have joined the UTC, putting them on a pathway to a promising educational experience. With entrants from Year 10 upwards, there is an exciting and different learning opportunity available. A type of apprentice employment can be linked into this, meaning that students can go on to complete degrees without accruing the debt normally associated with higher education today.  It seems a very interesting project, offering some great opportunities.

On a different note, we met to finalise details of the Mayor’s main funding raising event this Municipal year; not a charity dinner as is custom and practise, but a Frog Racing night in the Guildhall. Yes, Frog Racing!! Not real live ones, I hasten to add, but a great fun evening of racing MDF cut outs which will make for one hilarious night out.  Certainly a more lively way to raise money for Acorns, Daisychain and Sight Concern – and a different way to celebrate Valentines Weekend!  The event takes place tonight (Saturday 13^th February).

The annual Worcester City Council staff awards evening took place in the Guildhall on Friday 5^th February.  Titled the Staff WOSCARS, it is an opportunity to recognise those who have excelled or gone out of their way to deliver exceptional service.  There were many award categories, but some in particular stood out.  In any organisation you are lucky to have one or maybe two people that could be called “inspirational leaders”; but at this event we had four!  Nominations actually come from employees, so to have four nominations really says something positive about the organisation and its culture.  It was very pleasing to see two members of staff recognised for lifetime service awards, both had completed over forty years’ service to the Council and both greatly deserved this well earned award.

The week started with a delightful visit from French Students to the Guildhall. Their English was superb and certainly put me to shame, as my schoolboy French is rubbish!  They found the history of Worcester fascinating and they loved the Guildhall, it seemed that Worcester had gone down very well with them.

First Bus met with us in Cripplegate Park to plant some of the trees they have offered to fund over the next year or so. On this occasion we planted an oak tree and two ornamental varieties in Cripplegate Park:  the Foxglove tree (Paulownia tomentosa) which has trumpet-shaped, violet-blue flowers and the Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) – the sole survivor of an ancient group of trees that dates back to beyond the time of the dinosaurs. I thank Nigel Eggleton, Managing Director of First Bus, for his company’s generous contribution enhancing our green spaces.

The Guildhall was the venue for a very special occasion, certainly something I will not see again! We were privileged to be present as the French Consul awarded two of our citizens with the “Ordre national de la Legion d’honneur”, the highest honour awarded by France. The two gentlemen, who received this award in recognition of their service in France during the Second World War, were present on the Normandy Landings.  They are Mr Michael Stone and Mr Eric Tipping; my congratulations to you both.

Holocaust Memorial Day, an event held in the Guildhall and led by students of Blessed Edward Oldcorne College, was the most moving experience. The students read poems and scripts, as well as re-enacting a scene where two ghostly figures of Auschwitz past told of their suffering to three modern day youngsters.  The whole delivery was presented with such feeling that several of those present were moved to tears.  Dr. David Tibbutt followed up with an equally and very disturbing description of the genocide that happened in Rwanda during 1994.  It was very good to experience the understanding, awareness and compassion demonstrated by these students.

On a bright note I must mention the Kay’s Theatre Group product of Little Bo Peep, which was great. It was held at the Swan with a cast of thirty, plus twenty one Harlequin dancers; a festival of fun! This is Kay’s 62nd production – they have performed at the Swan since it opened and before that at the Co-op Hall. Kays Theatre Group originated in the days of Kays Catologue, when the original group – The Sports and Social Club – decided to put on a pantomime for staff and their families to enjoy. The present group continue this charity tradition to this day, and the audience support year after year enables Kays to provide funds to local charities.  This year they supported Mentor Link and Perdiswell Young Peoples Leisure Club, as well as providing bursaries to local young people to further their education in the performing arts.  You can find out more by going to-  www.kaystheatregroup.co.uk

A lovely evening out!!

It proved to be a bit of an educational week, starting with an invitation from The Principal of Blessed Edward Oldcorne College, Mr Sean Devlin, and then an invitation from Mr Michael Painter, Head of Cherry Orchard School. Both visits were very enjoyable and interesting, with Blessed Edward demonstrating a very wide range of educational opportunities and at Cherry, the enthusiasm and excitement of those youngsters just starting out on the educational trail was infectious!

Whilst I had some knowledge of the range of activities within Blessed Edward, I was impressed by the breadth and variety of learning available. My wife and I were shown around by Lucy, Head Girl, and Henry, Deputy Head Boy.  Their knowledge of both the college and the extensive range of educational opportunities were second to none – they are both a great credit to the college.  I’d like to thank them for their time and for answering our myriad of questions; they made the visit a real delight!

Cherry Orchard Primary School is somewhere I feel at home, not only because educationally it’s about my level, but also because I was a Governor at the school for some twelve years. Each time I go back I see improvements; the school seems to blossom a little more as each year passes.  All the staff are as upbeat and enthusiastic as ever.  The children were beautifully behaved, very keen and smiles were in evidence everywhere.

I should declare an interest, as we say in Council, in that all five of our grandchildren have passed through these educational establishments, benefitting both from a good start to learning and gaining a very good education – with both schools drawing out, enhancing and developing their better qualities.

You may have seen in the Worcester News that an historic print of a painting by Paul Sandby, showing Worcester after it had recovered from the devastation of the Civil War, was generously presented to the City by Rebecca Johnson and her sister. The coloured print was part of the Worcestershire Exhibition in 1882 and will be hung in the museum.

Also featured in the paper was the viewing of the new plaque to be located on the wall of the Whitehouse Hotel, commemorating the visit and stay of Adams and Jefferson to the Hop Pole Inn during April 1786.

We were blessed (excuse the pun) with an invitation to join Bishop John at The Old Palace for a delightful reception in the Hall overlooking the river side. A lovely way to end the week!