Mayoral Blog

Councillor Jean Brazil

Welcome to the official Blog of the Civic Mayor of Tameside

A Blog (or a Weblog) is an online journal/diary which is frequently updated with the author's thoughts and comments, and is intended for the general public to view.

Week Commencing Monday 25 April 2011

Hello everyone,

Thank you for joining me.

Well it has been another relatively quiet week with the Easter holidays but nevertheless a very enjoyable and memorable few days.

On Tuesday, I was pleased to take part in a photocall with Chris Bird, the Chair of the Lord Mayor of Manchester  Fundraising Committee. Chris had set himself a challenge to run the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester in 10 days in a bid to raise £10k for the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal Trust. I was delighted to welcome Chris to Hyde Town Hall and to offer my good wishes as he moved a step closer to completing his 10 day challenge.

On Thursday evening, Sydney and I attended ‘A Celebration of Queen’s Day’ Reception at the Midland Hotel in Manchester at the invitation of Mr Ian B Perry, Honorary Consul for the Netherlands in Manchester and Mr David Prior, Honorary Consul for the Netherlands in Liverpool and on Friday, we were honoured to join the local community in Ridgehill, Stalybridge for a Royal Wedding event.

It was lovely to see the community coming together to celebrate the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William  to the very beautiful Miss Catherine Middleton. We all watched the wedding together on a large screen and then afterwards enjoyed lots of fun and activities in the glorious sunshine.

To round the week off, on Sunday, we had a brilliant day at the Mottram Spring Show. Once again, the weather was very kind and it was the perfect topping to another splendid day.

That’s it for this week, thank you for your time.

Please join me again soon.

Best wishes.

Week Commencing Monday 18 April 2011

Hello everyone, I hope you had a lovely Easter.

Mayoral engagements have been very quiet this week due to the holidays in fact Sydney and I had just one official function to attend and that was the wonderful St George’s Day celebrations in Ashton Town Centre on Saturday 23rd April.

It was a glorious day, the sun was shining and the crowds were out in force to celebrate and honour St George, our Patron Saint.

Once again the Council put on a superb array of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy and it was lovely to see so many people, young and old, coming together to enjoy the festivities.

And that’s it for this week.

Thank you for joining me.

Take care and I hope to see you soon.

Best wishes.

Week Commencing Monday 11 April 2011

Hello everyone.

It’s been another busy week.

Official engagements began first thing on Monday morning when Sydney and I were invited to join the Mayor of Rochdale  and the other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester for a Civic Tour of the Borough. The day included visits to Rochdale Town Hall , the Museums Store, Rochdale Fire Station and the recently completed Golden Mosque. We have really enjoyed visiting the other boroughs and cities in Greater Manchester and learning more about their heritage and places of interest.

On Tuesday morning, the day began with a visit to Ashton Sixth Form College  for the opening of a Peace Conference. The event, which was organised by the College with support from Rotary  and Tameside Council, looked at issues affecting and influencing peace in the world, our borough, town and in the college community. I assisted the Principal, Dr Janet Nevin in officially opening the event and stayed for the Keynote address by Erinma Bell MBE. Erinma is a powerful role model within her local community and was awarded the MBE in 2008 for her work to combat conflict and violent crime in Manchester, particularly amongst young people living in the Moss Side area.

Later, I attended the final Council Meeting of this Municipal year.

Unfortunately, I was unwell on Wednesday and had to send my apologies to the Citizenship Ceremony and Annual Police Awards. Although I was very upset not to be able to attend these events, the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress kindly stepped in to ensure there was a Mayoral presence at both these important functions.

On Thursday, I was feeling much better and Sydney and I set off for Salford for a Civic Tour of the City at the invitation of the Mayor of Salford . Once again, we had a wonderful day and thoroughly enjoyed our visits to the Salford Museum and Art Gallery , the Salford Working Class Movement Library , The Lowry  and MediaCity UK  .

On Friday morning, we attended the launch of the Fostering Big Book in Tameside at Dukinfield Town Hall. Tameside Council has joined with other local authorities in the region to take part in a North West Campaign to recruit Foster Carers. As part of the campaign, a big book is travelling to each of the authorities taking part to allow its foster carers the opportunity to make comments about their careers. It was lovely to be part of the event and to be able to show our appreciation and support.

In the evening, we were invited to attend a Civic Dinner at Bolton Town Hall  with the Mayor of Bolton  and the other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester.

On Saturday morning, we were delighted to be able to join a Celebration of Youth event in Hyde Park. The day began with an Easter Egg hunt for the younger children and then later there was a variety of entertainment geared more for the older children. It was a fantastic day and it was wonderful to see so many young people and their families taking part and enjoying the occasion.

In the evening, we attended the Ashton Photographic & Imaging Society Annual Exhibition at Hurst Community Centre . There was a wonderful display of work and it was good to meet the members and to learn more about their interest in photography.

For our final engagement of the week, we joined the Tame Valley District Scouts at a St George’s Day Service at Stalybridge Methodist Church . It was a lovely afternoon and we were very pleased to be able to support the boys and girls on this important occasion.

And that’s it for this week.

Thank you for joining me.

Best wishes.

Week Commencing Monday 4 April 2011

Hello again,

Well it’s been another busy and enjoyable week.

On Monday, Sydney and I spent a lovely evening at Manchester Town Hall with the Lord Mayor of Manchester  and other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester and then on Tuesday, the Mayoral teams came together again for a Civic Tour of Oldham. The day included visits to Foxdenton Hall, the Pathology Laboratory at the Royal Oldham Hospital, Clough Manor  and Greenfield Brewery . It was a wonderful event which concluded very nicely with tea and cakes served in the Mayor’s Parlour at Oldham Civic Centre.

On Wednesday, the day began with a Hallé for Youth Concert at the Bridgewater Hall  in Manchester. Each year, the world famous Hallé Orchestra  organise a series of concerts especially designed to introduce young people to the sounds of a symphony orchestra in a major concert venue. Over 8000 school children take part in the concerts annually, many of them for the first time. It was a fantastic event and the children loved the whole experience.

Later, Sydney and I were invited to join members of Ashton Operatic Society  at Oldham Coliseum  for a superb production of “South Pacific”. The show was magnificent and, as always, the cast did a brilliant job.

On Thursday afternoon, we had the pleasure of welcoming a group of French students to the Town Hall from Armentieres. The Tricolour flew proudly from the Town Hall to welcome our guests who, earlier in the day, had spent time at Ashton Sixth Form College . The same evening, we were joined in the Mayor’s Parlour by the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress and guests from Denton West Ward.

On Friday, the sun was shining and we spent a glorious day in Wigan with the Mayor and Mayoress and other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester. The visit included a tour of Wigan Parish Church , Allgates Brewery  and the Tote .

To round the week off, on Sunday, I was invited by the local Friends Group and Ward Councillors to officially open the new sports cage at Granada Park in Denton.

Sydney and I then headed over to Astley Sports College in Dukinfield  for the annual model rail and transport show hosted by the Tame Valley District Scouts. It was a lovely community day and it was wonderful to take part in both events and to see everybody pulling together.

And that’s it for another week.

Thank you for joining me.

Hope to see you soon.

Best wishes.

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