Mayor's Blog February 2010
Mayoral Blog 2010
Councillor John B. Sullivan JP, GNSM, LTCL
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.
Hello again, thank you for joining me.
My Mayoral engagements began this week on Tuesday afternoon when I attended a meeting of Full Council. During my Mayoral announcements, I reported on the tragic death of Kingsman Sean Dawson. Sean, who was from Stalybridge and was just 19 years of age, was killed on Valentine’s Day whilst serving in Afghanistan with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment 
. The Members and Officers of the Council stood in silent tribute to remember Sean, an incredibly brave Tamesider who lost his life serving his country. We also acknowledged at that time the very sad deaths of Mrs Emma Hatton, a former Mayoress of both Dukinfield and Tameside and Mrs Janet Whitehead, a former Member of the Council.
During the meeting the Council agreed that Councillor Jean Brazil be nominated for the election of Civic Mayor for 20010/11 at the Annual Meeting of the Council to be held on 25th May 2010 and that Councillor Dawson Lane be nominated for the election as Deputy Mayor. Although it will be a sad day for Francoise and myself, we are delighted for Jean and Dawson and wish them and their families every happiness and success during their special year.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Wednesday but on Thursday afternoon I was pleased to welcome Pauline Tronca to the Mayor’s Parlour. Pauline, who is from Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Denton’s twin town in France, had been staying in the Borough for a short time and working alongside the Council’s Arts and Events Team. She has returned home now but I know she takes back with her some very happy memories of her visit to Tameside.
Later, Francoise and I and our Deputies, Councillors Sue and Kieran Quinn, welcomed guests to the Mayor’s Parlour from Fairfield House Sheltered Housing Accommodation in Droylsden. Sue in particular works very closely with the manager and residents of the scheme and had asked if she could invite them into the Town Hall. We had a super evening and our guests thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.
On Friday, I hosted the second event in my series of lunchtime concerts at Ashton Town Hall. Once again the concert was well attended and we managed to raise a wonderful £181 for my Mayoral Charity Appeal Fund. The concert featured the very talented Souza Winds . The quintet got together whilst studying at the Royal Northern College of Music, specialising in contemporary music, they have become renowned for their engaging and friendly recitals and they certainly wowed the audience in Ashton. We still have two more concerts to go in the series and at just £3 a ticket they really are worth a visit. For further information please visit www.tameside.gov.uk/mayor/events. Once again, I am extremely grateful to my wonderful Mayoral team for the brilliant way in which they bring my wishes, such as these concerts, to successful fruition. I never cease to be amazed at their professional flexibility, their goodwill and their supreme expertise in dealing with everything I put before them. We are very fortunate indeed to have them here in Tameside.
Later I was delighted to attend a private preview of ‘Image 10’, the Council’s Secondary School and College Photography exhibition at Tameside Central Art Gallery. Digital photography is in fact a favourite past time of mine and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to view the exhibition and to have the opportunity to chat to some of the students about their work. Each year the competition has a different theme, this year’s theme was portraits and with 120 entries, the response was overwhelming. The judges were particularly impressed with the standard, so much so that they created an extra category of highly commended and this was presented to three pupils for their inventive and creative work. At this point I would just like to mention Emma Varnam and Maria Knudson from the Museums Service. No matter what the task in hand, both officers are always so professional and enthusiastic about their work and it is always a pleasure to work alongside them.
It was then back home for a quick change and to collect Francoise before heading over to Buile Hill Park Hall for the Mayor of Salford’s Charity Ball . We had a superb evening and hopefully the event has helped raise lots of money for the Mayor’s Charity.
On Saturday afternoon, Francoise and I attended the ‘Big Brew’ event at Ashton Town Hall. The event had been organised to promote Fairtrade Fortnight but also to celebrate the achievement that all of the Church of England Churches in the Ashton Deanery are fair trade churches. Did you know that only 10% of the 165 million cups of tea drunk in the UK each day are using fairly traded tea? No, I didn’t either until Saturday, it certainly makes you think doesn’t it? The event was largely organised by the Reverend Philip Carlin of St John’s Church in Hurst, who is a Member of the Manchester Diocese World Development Task Force, it was also supported by Members and Officers of Tameside Council who were pleased to use the occasion to promote their ambitions to make Tameside a Fair Trade Borough.
To round the week off, Francoise and I attended a special Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday morning at St George’s Church in Hyde. The event had been organised to celebrate the restoration of the church’s historic tower, tower clock and the reinstallation of the beautiful Gospel Windows. The service very appropriately coincided with the 20th anniversary of the re-opening of the church in 1990 and was the perfect way to celebrate the extensive restoration works that have taken place. Francoise and I were particularly pleased to be invited to visit the belfry and to meet the bell ringers. We have even been invited back again at some point over the coming weeks to ring the bells ourselves!
And that brings another week to a close.
Thank you for your time. I hope you can join me again soon.
Bye for now.
Hello everyone, well our Mayoral week got off to a great start on Monday when Francoise and I joined the other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester for a Civic Tour of Stockport.
We had a super day which included visits to the Borough’s Hat Works, Air Raid Shelters and the very beautiful Bramall Hall . Unfortunately it never stopped raining but it certainly didn’t spoil an interesting and memorable day.
On Monday evening we were delighted to welcome to the Town Hall a second group of volunteers from the Tameside Hospital League of Friends. We had a lovely evening and the guests really enjoyed their tour of the Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber.
There were no engagements on Tuesday but on Wednesday I attended a Citizenship Ceremony at Dukinfield Town Hall.
Thursday turned out to be a very busy day. Engagements began with a photocall at East Cheshire Harriers Running Track to help launch the Tameside Olympic Legacy plan, a wonderful initiative to help make the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics a lasting success for Tameside and its residents.
Tameside Council and its partners want to make sure the games are ‘everyone’s 2012’ by giving everyone in the Borough the chance to join in, be inspired and make the Olympics count for Tameside.
With this in mind, a huge two year plan has been created, full of opportunities for people in Tameside to get active and get involved in sport and cultural activities in the build up to the games and beyond.
Residents are also being encouraged to pledge what their aspirations and involvement in culture and sport will be in the run up to the games and in doing so have the opportunity to raise money my Mayoral Charity Appeal Fund through sponsorship of pledges or donations. Further information can be found on the Council website at www.tameside.gov.uk/olympiclegacy.
From here, I headed over to Mossley to help celebrate the 100th birthday of Mrs Annie Marsden, a lovely, sprightly lady and a former Mayoress of the town. It was then back in the Mayoral car and over to Denton to call upon Mr and Mrs Bennison and to offer my good wishes to the happy couple on the occasion of their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.
I then travelled to Ashton Town Hall to host a reception in the Mayor’s Parlour for representatives of the Walker Estate Residents Association.
Later, Francoise and I attended a Presentation Evening at Belle Vue TA Centre in Manchester to honour the cadets that had taken part and worked so hard in the 2009 Cadet Poppy Appeal Awards organised by The Royal British Legion and supported by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester.
It was a wonderful occasion, and one which all the Mayors of Greater Manchester attended, along with the High Sherrif of Greater Manchester, to pay tribute to a marvellous group of young Cadets who collect more funds for the Poppy Appeal than any other area in the country. This year, they collected in excess of £112000 between them, which is an amazing feat. I was pleased to see Tameside represented, especially by 3 Air Training Cadets from Droylsden, Cdt Devon Bennett, Cdt Daniel Pridding, and Cdt Samuel Hartley. The Droylsden Cadets collected £4600.23 this year, which is a marvellous achievement.
The Lord Lieutenant went to the trouble of contacting 12 newspapers and 2 TV companies to tell them of the good news event, and not a single one of them turned up to cover the event. Too often, the accent on young people is of the negative kind, and I think it’s such a pity that when young people do great things in the community they are often ignored by the media.
On Friday lunchtime, it was the first event in a series of lunchtime concerts I am hosting at Ashton Town Hall in aid of my Mayoral Charity Appeal Fund.
Many of you will be aware of my continuing efforts, both in my role as the Council’s Musical and Choral Attaché and as Chair of the Hyde District Assembly, to bring live music to the Borough. This year I have the unique opportunity to link my work and love of music to my Mayoral duties whilst at the same time raising funds for the Mayor’s Charity.
This first concert featured the wonderfully talented Jonathan French on piano and the amazing voice of Helen Swift. In total we sold 85 tickets to the event which exceeded all expectations. It was a fantastic concert and I’m sure everybody went away with the feeling that it was £3 very well spent. The whole series presents a superb range of incredibly talented performers and really is worth a visit if you get the opportunity. Further information can be found on the Council’s website at www.tameside.gov.uk/mayor/events and tickets can be purchased at Ashton Town Hall and Tameside Tourist Information Centre.
On Friday evening, Francoise and I were treated to a tour of the Mossley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society Studio. During the visit we had the opportunity to meet some of the young people connected to the society’s youth drama group. It was a great evening and it was a pleasure to meet the people involved and to experience their enthusiasm and love of the performing arts.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Saturday, but on Sunday we attended a Thinking Day Service at St Mary’s Church in Newton, Hyde at the invitation of the Hyde North District Rainbows, Brownies and Guides it was a lovely afternoon and the perfect way to end another very special week.
Thank you for joining me. I hope to see you again soon.
Best wishes.
Hello everybody,
Well it’s been a busy and memorable Mayoral week.
Official engagements began on Tuesday afternoon when I hosted another event in my series of receptions to acknowledge the work of Council employees. The Chief Executive and I were joined by staff from Economy and Environment and specifically by employees who worked ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty during the recent bad weather. It was a pleasure to meet these local heroes and to be able offer thanks and congratulations for their outstanding efforts.
On Wednesday afternoon, I was joined in the Mayor’s Parlour by representatives of the Tameside Local History Forum and on Thursday evening, Francoise and I hosted a reception for Tameside Radio Staff, who I believe after a relatively short time on air have become an integral and much-appreciated service within the borough.
On Friday night, I was delighted to host a Charity Valentine’s Ball in Ashton Town Hall in aid of Mayoral Charity Appeal Fund. The event was hugely successful and we managed to raise a staggering £2220 for the Mayor’s Charity. The evening began with a Champagne Reception followed by a delicious five course formal dinner, a raffle and auction and then finally dancing to the delightful sounds of the Mark Gillbanks Band. Everybody had a wonderful night and to make the occasion even more memorable, we were joined by the Mayor of Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Monsieur Michel Laugier and his wife Agnes.
Those of you who are regular followers of my Blog will know that Francoise and I have visited Montigny, Denton’s twin town in France, twice during our Mayoral year. We have built a wonderful friendship with the Mayor and his wife and we were extremely honoured when they accepted our invitation to attend the Valentine’s Ball. We were delighted to have the opportunity to repay some of the wonderful hospitality we received from Monsieur and Madame Laugier on our visits to their wonderful town.
My thanks go to everybody who attended the event or who supported the occasion in other ways.
On Saturday, Monsieur and Madame Laugier joined us at the Town Hall once again for the annual Chinese New Year celebrations in the Borough.
For those people who have never attended the event, it is quite a spectacle and really worth a visit. The day included a Lion Dance and Parade from the Library on Old Street, through the town centre and onto the Civic Square where it was my pleasure to extend a Civic welcome to the parade and to participate in a short ceremony with the lion.
Francoise and I spent the rest of the afternoon with the Mayor of Montigny and his wife. We took the opportunity to show then around the Town Hall and we also took them on whistle stop tour of the Borough which included Victoria Park and Crown Point North in Denton , Portland Basin Museum and also some breathtaking views of our wonderful countryside.
Monsieur and Madame Laugier thoroughly enjoyed their stay and will take home with them to France some very happy memories of Tameside.
On Sunday afternoon, Francoise and I were pleased to attend a Service of Thanksgiving at Manchester Cathedral at the close of an Interfaith Marriage Exhibition organised by The Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Manchester. Francoise and I were pleased to view the exhibition after the service and we chatted with various members of the Mothers’ Union who were responsible for organising it.
And that brings another week to a close. Thank you for joining me.
I hope to see you again soon.
Best wishes.
Hello again, thank you for joining me.
My Mayoral engagements this week began on Wednesday morning when I had the pleasure of visiting the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester for a Hallé for Youth Concert for Schools. Each year the world famous Hallé Orchestra organises a series of concerts specially designed to introduce young people to the sounds of a symphony orchestra in a major concert venue and to encourage the development of an interest in classical music. It was a superb event and the children really seemed to enjoy the occasion.
On Thursday, Francoise and I were extremely pleased and honoured to visit Canon Burrows Primary School in Ashton on the occasion of the visit by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. Prior to the Duchess’s arrival, we were able to have a short guided tour of the school and the opportunity to meet and chat with some of the pupils and staff. It was lovely to be able to share in the children’s excitement and to join them on such an important and memorable day for the school. Canon Burrows School recently beat nine other finalists to win the National ‘Wipe out Waste’ competition. As a result of winning the competition the children were awarded a Power Perfector unit which will enable them to reduce the school’s power consumption and carbon footprint. The Duchess kindly switched on the unit during her visit much to the delight of the children. To make the occasion even more special, the visit coincided with the tenth National Storytelling Week and therefore was attended by Taffy Thomas, the new National Storytelling Laureate. It really was a wonderful afternoon and a day that everybody associated with Canon Burrows will remember for a long time to come.
On Friday morning, I had the sad duty of attending the funeral of Mrs Emma Hatton, a former Mayoress of both Dukinfield and Tameside and the wife of the late George Hatton JP, Hon Alderman of the Borough. It was a beautiful service with many moving tributes paid to a very special and much loved lady.
On Saturday evening, Francoise and I had a lovely night at the Mayor of the Rochdale’s Civic Ball and then on Sunday afternoon we attended the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester’s annual service at Manchester Cathedral to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s accession to the throne.
And that brings another Mayoral week to a close.
Next week, I will be reporting on my Valentine’s Ball and also the visit to Tameside by the Mayor of Montigny-le-Bretonneux, I hope you can join me.
Kind regards