Mayor's Blog - July 2008
Mayoral Blog 2008/09
Councillor Jack Davis
On Monday evening, Carole and I were pleased to welcome to the Mayor's Parlour Maria Hodgkinson and Kenneth Cooper and their families.
Maria and Kenneth were both awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List and I invited them to join me for a small reception in the Mayor's Parlour in recognition of this wonderful achievement.
On Tuesday evening we were invited to Astley Sports College in Dukinfield to visit a residential youth leadership course for young Hindu people. The course was scheduled to run for 10 days and had been organised by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK) – a national Charity which seeks to promote universal values amongst Hindu youths in Britain. Carole and I had the opportunity to meet some of the young people taking part and also to hear about the course in greater detail. This was the first time the event had been hosted in Tameside and only the second time it had been held in the North West. There were young people present from right across the country and even delegates from overseas. It was good to meet them and to offer a warm welcome to the Borough.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Wednesday or Thursday, although I did have business meetings to attend.
On Friday evening, Carole and I called in at the Diamond Wedding celebration of Mr and Mrs John Butler. Mr and Mrs Butler and their family and friends had gathered at St Peter's Social Club in Stalybridge. Carole and I popped in to present a bouquet of flowers and also to offer our good wishes and congratulations on this important occasion.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Saturday but on Sunday we had a lovely time with the members of the Tame Valley Vintage and Classic Car Club.
Each year, the club members host a Charity run along the A6, into Macclesfield, through Tatton Park and on to Lymm. Carole and I travelled in style in a classic car. The Mayor and Mayoress of Salford also joined the convoy and when we reached Macclesfield Town Hall, we were greeted by the Mayor and offered tea. We then proceeded on to the Children's Adventure Farm in Lymm, which is the club's chosen charity again this year. It was a fantastic day and a wonderful spectacle and hopefully lots of money was raised for a very good cause.
That's it for this week. Thanks for tuning in and I hope to see you next time.
My first engagement on Monday was to meet the North West in Bloom judges as they commenced their tour of the Borough. The weather was glorious and it was a pleasure to be able to welcome them to sunny Tameside. The 'In Bloom' team have certainly done their best again to help our towns look their very best and I am sure the judges would have been very impressed.
My next meeting was with class 8 children from Waterloo Primary School in Ashton. The children recently sang at the unveiling of the Waterloo Bronze Heritage map and as a special thank you for their outstanding contribution, I was pleased to be able to welcome them to the Town Hall and show them around the Mayor's Parlour and Council Chamber.
After saying goodbye to the children, I visited Albion United Reformed Church where I joined members of the Tameside Elders Association at their weekly luncheon club.
Later, I returned to the Town Hall to meet the District Governor from Rotary International along with representatives of the Rotary Clubs in Tameside. It was a very interesting meeting and I was brought up to date with the work of Rotary both in this country and overseas.
On Tuesday, it was the first Meeting of Full Council since my inauguration in May. This year is the first time that the Mayor has also been Chair of Council Business. I opened the meeting in civic robes and chain of office and then, following my Mayoral announcements, I quickly changed back into my business suit to take on the very separate role of Chairman. I know quite a few people (including myself) were wondering just how this would work but it ran smoothly and the change took no more than a few short minutes, allowing the meeting to progress quickly.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Wednesday although I did have business meetings to attend.
On Thursday evening, the Mayoress and I were delighted to be able to welcome to the Mayor’s Parlour some of the borough's young carers. The young people had recently returned from the Annual Young Carers Festival at Fairthorne Manor in Hampshire. This is the first time the Borough had been represented at the event, and it was good to be able to hear from the young people first hand just how the weekend had gone.
There were no Mayoral Engagements on Friday but on Saturday we were pleased to attend a special service at Ashton Parish Church to dedicate the new branch standard of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Old Comrades Association (Ashton Branch). Following the service, the old comrades made their way to the Town Hall and formed up outside for a formal inspection and short dedication ceremony on the Town Hall steps. It was quite something to see the old comrades on parade alongside young cadets and I know it was a very proud day for them all.
From here, Carole and I travelled to Platt Fields for the Annual Manchester Mega Mela where we attended the official opening ceremony with the other Civic Heads of Greater Manchester.
On Sunday, our first engagement was at Richmond Park Athletics Stadium where we attended the closing ceremony of this year's Cancer Research UK Relay for Life. The event had started at 12 noon on Saturday 26th July and teams had been out on the track for a whole 24 hours. Carole and I had the opportunity to meet some of the people involved and to offer our thanks for their support.
And then for our final engagement of the week, we headed over to Carrbrook Bowling Club for a friendly game of bowls. The club contacted me some time ago and asked if I would like to field a team of Councillors to play their members. We had a superb afternoon. The weather was lovely, the setting was beautiful and we all had good fun. Unfortunately the Council Team lost but as we all know, it's not the winning but the taking part that counts! The afternoon concluded with refreshments in the Buckton Vale Institute and a raffle for the Mayor's Charity.
And that brings us to the end of another great week. Things are quietening down a little over the next few weeks due to the summer holidays but I hope you can still join me.
That’s it for this week. I hope you can join me next time.
Best wishes.
The week started with a very busy day on Monday.
It began with the official opening of the new Boots Pharmacy on Mossley Road in Ashton. From here, I attended morning assembly at Hurst Knoll Primary School where I was pleased to present certificates of achievement to two of the pupils.
I then came into the Town Hall where I took part in an interview with the Editor of Fourmost Magazine. After lunch, Carole and I officiated at a Citizenship Ceremony at Dukinfield Town Hall and later we joined the members of the Tame Valley Vintage and Classic Car Club for their annual Concourse Evening at the Roe Cross in Mottram.
On Tuesday, the Deputy Mayor represented me at the Homecoming Party for the Tameside teams involved in this year's Greater Manchester Youth Games and on Wednesday night, I attended the Tameside Racial Equality Council Annual General Meeting in the Town Hall where I was pleased to accept the position of Honorary President of TREC for the coming year.
I was given the day off from Mayoral duties on Thursday as my scheduled Mayoral appointments were cancelled although I did have other business to attend to.
On Friday evening, Carole and I attended two engagements. The first was a charity football match at Hyde United FC in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund and featured teams from Coronation Street and The Mercian Regiment. We were pleased to have the opportunity to meet the teams and watch them kick off before heading over to Dukinfield Town Hall for the 3rd Annual Primary Schools Catering Awards.
We had a lovely time on Saturday at the Hollingworth Carnival and then afterwards at a Well Dressing Blessing Service at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Charlesworth.
On Sunday afternoon we joined the ladies of the Gee Cross Womens Institute for their annual Well Dressings and later we were invited to Sandon Dock in Liverpool for a reception aboard the HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl to celebrate the start of the Tall Ships' Race 2008.
Once again it has been another enjoyable week and Carole and I have loved every minute. We have a busy diary again for the week ahead with lots of events to look forward to. We hope you can catch up with us next time.
Best wishes.
On Monday morning I was invited down to Ashton Moss to wave off this year’s Convoy of Happiness. It was quite a spectacle to see the convoy of limousines filled with very excited children as they set off on their annual visit to Blackpool. It is a wonderful occasion which allows seriously ill children, their parents and carers the opportunity to forget their worries for a short time and enjoy together a very special, fun filled day by the sea.
From here, Carole and myself set off to London with the Deputy Mayor and her husband. We had all been invited to attend the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 8th July. Whilst we were in London we met up with our MPs Andrew Gwynne and David Heyes and they very kindly spent the time to welcome us to the capital and show us around the Houses of Parliament. It was a fantastic couple of days.
On Wednesday I had a lovely morning in the Town Hall with the Headteacher and School Council from Ashton West End Primary School and later that day I was asked by CALL (Cancer Aid and Listening Line) to assist at a rose planting ceremony in Stamford Park, Stalybridge. The bespoke rose is a tribute to all the people in the Borough that have been affected by cancer.
On Thursday afternoon, the Year 6 children from St Christopher’s School in Ashton visited the Town Hall and Carole and I were pleased to welcome then to the Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber. Later, we were joined by Mr Ted Peate and his family. Ted is well known in Hyde for his work with young people and his love of boxing. Councillor John Sullivan approached me some time ago to see if I would host a reception in the Mayor’s Parlour to recognise Ted’s work and to thank him for his services to the local community. Ted is real character and it was a pleasure to meet him and guests. I hope they enjoyed the evening as much as I did.
On Friday morning, children from Ravensfield Primary School and their local Dukinfield Ward Councillors visited Carole and myself in the Town Hall. We then travelled over to Portland Basin Heritage Museum to meet the young people involved in this year’s Friends of Gorse Hall “Dig for History” project. In the evening, Carol and I joined the Executive Leader of the Council and Councillor Martin Wareing at Manchester Metropolitan University for the Chancellor’s Dinner.
On Saturday, we had a great day cheering on the Tameside team at the annual Greater Manchester Youth Games. The young people did brilliantly and Carole and I were immensely proud of them all.
Later, we attended a special Gala Concert to celebrate the centenary of Stockport Town Hall. The evening featured the Stockport Symphony Orchestra and solo items from organist Nigel Ogden.
On Sunday, we had two engagements in my own ward of St Peter’s. The first event was a Community Fun Day at Oxford Park and then later we attended the annual Pet Service at St Peter’s Church. Both are events that Carole and I support as a rule anyway but we felt very proud to attend this year in our capacity as Civic Mayor and Mayoress. We had a wonderful time at both venues and the weather stayed fine for once which was a real bonus for everyone.
That’s it for this week. I hope you can join me next time.
Best wishes.