Mayor's Blog - February 2008
Mayoral Blog 2007/08
Councillor Michael Smith
My engagements this week began on Monday when I was joined in the Town Hall by the School Council from St Mary’s Primary School in Droylsden.
I showed the children around the Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber and they were very interested to learn all about the history of the building.
There were no Mayoral duties on Tuesday but on Wednesday evening I was pleased to welcome to the Mayor’s Parlour volunteers from Our Kids Eyes. Sue Schofield who has been involved with OKE for 10 years has recently retired and it was a great opportunity to wish her well and to thank her for her hard work over the years.
On Thursday, I was joined in the Town Hall by representatives of the Tameside Prostate Cancer Support Group. Teresa and I spent a lovely evening with the group at their meeting in December and I wanted to repay some of their kindness. My Council colleagues from Droylsden took the opportunity to present the group with cheques totalling £200.
Early on Friday morning, Teresa, myself and David the Mayor’s Attendant travelled to France for a special Twinning weekend in Champagnole. Champagnole has been twinned with Dukinfield for 50 years and we were honoured to be invited to the town to help celebrate this special milestone. Representatives of Dukinfield Town Twinning Association and the Friezland Band joined us on the visit.
We had a wonderful weekend.
There were also representatives there of Champagnole’s German twin town, Gottmadingen. They were celebrating their 40th anniversary, so as I am sure you can imagine, there was a lot of celebrating to be done!
The weekend included brass band concerts, a wonderful Carnival Parade and a Civic Reception hosted by the Mayor of Champagnole.
The town was delighted that we were present to mark this historic occasion and we felt very privileged to represent the people of Dukinfield and the Borough of Tameside.
We arrived home at lunchtime on Sunday. In the evening we attended a stirring performance of Handel’s “Messiah” at the Albion United Reformed Church in Ashton-under-Lyne. Sung by the Oldham Choral Society, it was an incredible performance in a beautiful setting and it really was a perfect way to end a memorable weekend.
See you next week.
My Mayoral engagements this week started on Monday evening when I was pleased to welcome to the Mayor's Parlour representatives of Tameside Magistrates' Court.
On Tuesday evening it was a meeting of Full Council to set the budget for the coming year and the Borough's Council Tax.
On Wednesday night, I attended a meeting of the Tameside and District Ex-Services Association at the Irish Club in Ashton. In my role as Civic Mayor, I am also the Honorary President of the Association and I wanted to show my support to the group.
On Thursday, I attended a special assembly at Audenshaw Primary School. The school has done incredibly well in achieving its first Eco Flag. I was delighted to make the presentation to the school and now look forward to seeing the flag flying proudly outside. My congratulations go to the Headteacher, staff and children on this fantastic achievement.
Later, following a meeting of the Resources & Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel, Teresa and I joined the Lord Lieutenant and Civic Heads of Greater Manchester at Manchester Town Hall for the presentation of awards for the Lord Lieutenant's Cadet Poppy Appeal competition. Cadets throughout Greater Manchester give tremendous assistance to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, these annual presentations acknowledge their hard work. I was pleased to be able to attend this event to offer my thanks and support to the Tameside cadets.
On Friday, I attended the official opening of the new Geoff Higgins building at Ashton Sixth Form College. This brand new modern and spacious work and research area houses the library, careers department and new classrooms and I was very impressed with the new facilities. It was also good to see Geoff Higgins, the former Principal, in attendance to see the building opened in his name.
Later, Teresa and I had a lovely evening at the Mayor of Oldham's Civic Ball. The event was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and a great night was had by all.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Saturday but on Sunday, Teresa and I were pleased to attend a Thinking Day Service at Rosemount Trinity Methodist Church at the invitation of Hyde North District Guides.
Next weekend, Teresa and I will be visiting Champagnole, Dukinfield's twin town in France to help celebrate the 50th Twinning Anniversary of the two towns. Please join me next week to see how we get on.Best wishes.
It’s been another busy but enjoyable week.
On Monday, Teresa and I attended a Citizenship Ceremony at Dukinfield Town Hall and later we welcomed staff from Bourne House Residential Home in Ashton to the Mayor’s Parlour.
On Tuesday, I was pleased to meet Tom Hatton who has been working alongside Richard Ashton this week, the Political Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition. Tom gave up his week’s holiday from Alder High School to gain some valuable work experience. It was great to meet him and I wish him every success and happiness for the future.
Later, Teresa and I welcomed Joe Boardman and his wife Dorothy to the Mayor’s Parlour. Joe is the gentleman who cleans the cannons outside the Town Hall each week, you may have read about him in the local press recently. Teresa and took the opportunity to thank Joe for his work and to show him and Dorothy around the Town Hall. There are a lovely couple and I know they had a wonderful time.
The same evening, Teresa and I entertained Mrs Sandie Dixie and her family in the Mayor’s Parlour. Mrs Dixie lives in Stalybridge and is a Headteacher in Oldham. She received the OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for her services to Education. As with Joe, it was a pleasure to meet someone who has given so much to the local community and to be able to thank them for their hard work and dedication.
On Wednesday, Teresa and I enjoyed a day off with the family, but it was back to work again on Thursday when we had a wonderful evening at the Tameside Hippodrome. We attended a performance by young people taking part in the “mini stage experience”. During their school holidays, young people had signed up to work with the theatre Education and Community team, their work culminated in a magnificent performance of Disney’s “The Jungle Book” and “Animal Antics”. Teresa and I had a great time and it was lovely to see how well the children had done after just a few days work.
On Friday we attended the Mayor of Salford’s Valentine’s Ball at the Buile Hill Banqueting Suite. It was a brilliant night in aid of the Mayor’s Charity. The dress theme was black and red and it certainly added to the occasion.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Saturday but on Sunday we attended a special service at St Luke’s Church in Dukinfield to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. As a big red myself, it was honour to be there and I thank Father David Schofield and the Parishioners of St Luke’s for inviting me to join them in remembering the Busby Babes and all the people that perished on that fateful day in February 1958.
That’s it for this week, I hope to see you next time.
Best wishes.
My Mayoral engagements started on Tuesday this week and they certainly got off to a good start!
I had great fun at the Ashton Town Centre Pancake Race. The race has become a permanent fixture in the town’s calendar and many local businesses look forward to taking part. This year’s winners were the Ladysmith Shopping Centre, that’s two years on the run for them, they have obviously perfected the required technique. All proceeds from the event are to be donated to my charity so not only was it fun but it also raised money for local good causes. Later, I welcomed guests to the Mayor’s Parlour.
On Wednesday evening I was pleased to attend the Tameside Sports Awards 2007. This annual ceremony is a celebration of sport in the Borough and it recognises and rewards the dedication and commitment of Tameside’s sportsmen and women. It was a lovely evening and I was pleased to be able to lend my support.
On Thursday night, following a number of business meetings, I was delighted to welcome to the Town Hall, representatives from the Stalybridge Cancer Research Shop. I recently visited the shop to help staff and volunteers celebrate reaching their £1 million milestone. It was a pleasure to offer my thanks and congratulations once again and to show guests around the Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber.
On Friday I visited Mrs Elizabeth McKeown on her 105th birthday. Mrs McKeown is a resident at Fairfield View Care Home in Audenshaw. She is a lovely lady and I was thrilled to be able to extend my good wishes on such a special day.
Later, I hosted a Valentine’s Ball at the Town Hall in aid of my Charity Appeal Fund. It was a wonderful evening and we managed to raise over £2,600 for local good causes.
The event included a Champagne and Pimms Reception, a fabulous dinner and dancing to live band. There was a raffle and auction and we had lots of fun with a game of “Heads or Tails”.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the companies and individuals who supported the event. As always, your kindness was much appreciated and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
On Saturday morning, I was very pleased to take part in a ceremony on Ashton Market Ground to mark the Chinese New Year. The event included a Lion Dance performed by the Northern Dragons Martial Arts Group. It was a superb show and a fantastic way to welcome in the Chinese New Year.
On Sunday morning, Teresa and I attended a special service at St Mary’s Church in Droylsden. The service had been organised to celebrate the church’s 160th anniversary. The Bishop of Manchester was present and later he joined members of the local community at a Reception in the School Hall as part of his pilgrimage around the Diocese.
In the afternoon, we visited the Irish Club in Ashton for a special ceremony to unveil a Roll of Honour in memory of members of the club who gave their lives in the two world wars. It was a very moving ceremony and a wonderful tribute to those lost.
See you next time