Mayor's Blog - April 2008
Mayoral Blog 2007/08
Councillor Michael Smith
Mayoral engagements have been exceptionally quiet this week due to the local elections.
On Monday I was pleased to welcome to the Town Hall the School Council from Russell Scott Primary School in Denton. As well as being a treat for the children, the visit had also been arranged to surprise one of their teachers, Mrs Barbara Winnell. Barbara celebrated her 65th birthday this week and in the summer she will be retiring from the school after 40 years. To mark this special occasion I presented Barbara with a bouquet of flowers and Councillor Martin Wareing, who is Chair of Governors at the school, gave her a big box of Thorntons chocolates. The children brought along a birthday cake and together we all sang “Happy Birthday”. We had a lovely time and Barbara seemed genuinely surprised and very pleased.
Later I was delighted to attend the Manchester Premier Challenge Cup Final at Boundary Park in Oldham to cheer on Hyde United FC as they faced Radcliffe Borough from Bury. Radcliffe lifted the cup but Hyde played well and did the Borough proud.
I was due to meet with volunteers from Willow Wood Hospice on Tuesday afternoon but due to my work commitments I asked the Deputy Mayor to step in to represent me. I understand the guests had a great time and once again I was grateful to Steve for deputising in my absence.
It was my birthday on Wednesday and I celebrated by officiating at my final Citizenship Ceremony of the year. I have thoroughly enjoyed these events and it has been a pleasure to meet our new citizens and to formally welcome them to the Borough.
It was the Local Elections on Thursday and although there were no Mayoral engagements, it was a very busy day for all Members of the Council.
I enjoyed a couple of days rest over the weekend. Teresa and I had been looking forward to attending the Mottram Spring Show on Sunday but sadly it had to be cancelled due to the ground conditions.
That’s all for this week.
See you next time
The Deputy Mayor has kindly helped me out again this week with daytime commitments as I have been working away from the Borough and once again I am very grateful to Steve and to the organisers of events for their kindness and understanding.
On Monday evening, Teresa and I welcomed representatives of St John’s Church Band from Droylsden to the Mayor’s Parlour. We have seen the band at a number of functions throughout the year and wanted to take the opportunity to thank them for their hard work and support.
On Thursday night, I was joined in the Town Hall by residents from Fairfield flats in Droylsden. It was a lovely evening and the guests thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber.
On Friday, it was a great honour for me to attend the Greater Manchester Police Long Service and Gallantry Awards in Ashton Town Hall. The Acting Chief Constable, Mr David Whatton and I presented awards to Police officers, staff and members of the public in recognition of their long service, dedication and acts of bravery. It was a very important and proud day for all those receiving awards and their families and I was delighted to be involved.
On Saturday afternoon, Teresa and I attended the opening of the new extension to the Droylsden Air Cadets building on Moorcroft Street in Droylsden. The opening ceremony was conducted by Mr David Heyes MP and I was pleased to be asked to open the new classrooms that were dedicated in memory of people formally connected to the squadron. The parents of Guardsman Tony Downes who was tragically killed last year in Afghanistan were in attendance as Tony was once a cadet with the squadron.
Later, we joined members of the St Peter’s Social Cub at Stalybridge Civic Hall for their annual over 60’s party. It was a great night with excellent food, good company and wonderful entertainment.
I had a busy day on Sunday. It began with a call to Ashton United Football Club to wish the teams well who were participating in a charity match. It was Manchester City Old Boys versus the RAF and footballing heroes included Peter Barnes, Asa Hartford and David White. Proceeds from the game were divided between the teams chosen charities but the event had actually been organised to say thank you to the service personnel who had recently returned from duties in the Middle East. I couldn’t stay for the match but was pleased to offer my good wishes for a successful day.
From here, I travelled to Manchester Cathedral for the Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade Annual Joint Parade and Service and then Teresa and I attended a wonderful concert at the Albion United Reformed Church in Ashton performed by the Hallé Choir.
That’s it for this week.
Hope to see you next time.
Best regards.
It appeared at the start of the week that I had a very busy schedule ahead. However, due to urgent work commitments, I was forced to cancel the majority of my Mayoral engagements for both this week and next.
The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Steve Smith) has been brilliant and has managed to cover most of the engagements for me. I am grateful to Steve and Betty and of course to all the community groups and organisers of events for their patience and understanding. The last thing I wanted to do was to let anybody down.
I was able to carry out my appointments on Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday, I visited the Tameside Magistrates’ Court at the invitation of the Chairman of the Bench, Mr John Beaumont JP. It was a very pleasant and interesting visit and I was grateful to Mr Beaumont and his team for their kindness and warm hospitality. Later, Teresa and I attended a Celebration Evening at Littlemoss High School for Key Stage 3 Pupils.
It was a lovely evening and we were delighted to be able to offer our congratulations to the young people receiving awards for their achievements, hard work and good attendance.
On Tuesday, I joined the Civic Heads of Greater Manchester for a Civic Tour of Wigan at the invitation of the Mayor, Councillor John O’Brien. It was a wonderful day and included visits to Robin Park Sports Centre, Trencherfield Mill, Dam House and Leigh Sports Village. I then made my way to Ashton Town Hall for the final Council Meeting of the Municipal Year.
At the meeting, I made reference to the tragic death of our Chief Constable, Michael Todd and heartfelt tributes were made to a fine Police Officer. Members also said their goodbyes to retiring Councillors Andrew Gwynne MP, Karen Wright and Charles Meredith MBE JP. `Charlie’ has decided to step down as a local Councillor after over 50 years service. The Council presented him with a gift to thank him for his long and distinguished career and many Members spoke and paid tribute to a much loved and well respected colleague. Charlie will be sadly missed by all his friends on the Council.
As explained earlier, the Deputy Mayor kindly stepped in to cover Mayoral engagements this week on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Saturday, I was honoured to take part in the Council’s Annual St George’s Day celebrations in Ashton Town Centre. It was a fitting way to acknowledge the day of our Patron Saint. Activities included a parade through the town centre led by the Adamson’s Military Band, English Civil War drill displays, living history tents and a variety of music and dance. Stilt walkers, knights and squires handed out St George’s Day roses, an act that was repeated throughout the nine towns of Tameside with the kind assistance of the Royal British Legion.
On Saturday evening, Teresa and I attended a spectacular event in Manchester to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Territorial Army. The evening included a Beating Retreat Ceremony and magnificent firework display in Albert Square. It was a wonderful night and my congratulations go to everybody who helped organise the event.
On Sunday, we visited Linnet Clough Scout Camp once again in Mellor at the invitation of Denton District Scout Council. We attended a St George’s Day Service which had fallen at the end of a Weekend Camp. The boys and girls had obviously had a great time despite the wet weekend weather.
Later, although it is well known that I am a red, I was invited to attend the Manchester City v Portsmouth match at Eastlands. It was a terrific afternoon and a great result but it seemed very strange cheering on the blues!
That’s it for this week, I hope you can join me next time.
Best wishes.
Well it’s been a very busy and interesting week!
On Monday night I was pleased to welcome to the Mayor’s Parlour representatives of Home Start Tameside. We had a lovely evening and it was a pleasure to be able to say thank you to the volunteers for the friendship and practical support they provide to families in Tameside.
On Tuesday, my daughter Rebecca and I spent the day in Trafford along with other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester as guests of the Mayor of Trafford. We had a fabulous day and even tried our hand at skiing at the new Chill Factor.
Later the same evening, Teresa and I were guests of the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester at a Lieutenancy Reception at Gorton Monastery. Again, it was a lovely evening. The Monastery building is superb and the night was made even more special by the fact that the Lord Lieutenant generously donated £950 to my Charity Appeal Fund from the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund.
On Wednesday and Thursday, myself and other Mayors and Mayoresses of Greater Manchester were guests of the Mayors of Bolton and Stockport respectively. We were given guided tours and it was interesting to see some of the 'highlights’ of our neighbouring Boroughs.
On Thursday evening, I welcomed representatives of Denton West Cricket Club to the Town Hall. The club very kindly hosted a charity event for me towards the end of last year and I was delighted to be able to repay some of their kindness.
On Friday, myself, the Executive Leader of the Council, the Deputy Chief Executive and Councillor Warren Bray represented the Borough at a Memorial Service for Michael Todd. The service was a celebration of Michael’s career and we assembled to give thanks and to remember an excellent Chief Constable.
Later, I was joined in the Town Hall by Councillors Allison and Andrew Gwynne MP and representatives of the St Anne’s Scout Group in Denton. The young people thoroughly enjoyed their visit and were fascinated to hear about the history of the Mayor’s Parlour and the workings of the Council Chamber.
On Saturday, I was delighted to be able to visit the annual model rail and transport show organised by the Tame Valley District Scout Council at Astley Sports College and also to attend an Open Day at the invitation of the Friends of Copperas Field in Droylsden where events even included an ice rink!
On Sunday afternoon, Teresa and I called in at special concert at the Irish Club in Ashton. The event had been organised by the Tameside and District Ex-Services Association to raise money for the Children of Chernobyl Appeal. There are children from Chernobyl in the North West at the moment and it was an honour to be able to assist in the presentation of monies to help these young people. The children have accepted an invitation from me to visit the Town Hall in the next couple of weeks and I look forward to welcoming them during their stay.
From the Irish Club, we proceeded to Dukinfield Town Hall for a rousing concert courtesy of the Black Dyke Brass Band.
That’s it for now.
We have another busy schedule next week so I hope you will join me then.
Best wishes.