Mayor's Blog - May 2007
Mayoral Blog 2007/08
Councillor Michael Smith
May 2007
Despite a typically wet start to the Bank Holiday, the evening turned to out to be glorious.
Teresa and I attended a Dinner in Stalybridge to celebrate the continuing regeneration in the town. The dinner rounded off a fantastic day of entertainment at the annual Stalybridge Splash event. Once again the town played host to a festival of live music, dance and a variety of street entertainment.
I was tied up on Thursday with Council business and then on Friday the sun came out for what was to be an incredible day.
It started early in the morning at the annual Mossley Whit Walks. The people of Mossley came out in force to support this traditional event. Teresa and I had the pleasure of meeting the Town Mayor of Mossley for the first time and also the Deputy Mayor of Hem (Mossley's twin town in France). After a short service, we processed together through the town, hundreds of people joined the procession and lined the streets. It was a fantastic occasion and was reminiscent of our childhood days.
In the afternoon, I attended a ceremony to unveil a plaque in memory of my good friend, the late Councillor Arthur Grundy. It was a day of mixed emotions. Teresa and I joined Arthur's family, friends and colleagues to remember and to honour Arthur's life and his work in the local community. We laughed about the good times and Arthur's wonderful sense of humour and we also shed some tears.
From there it was a quick change and then directly on to the Whit Friday Brass Band Contests and what a wonderful sight it was. We travelled throughout the Tameside area visiting all twelve contests! Each venue attracted large crowds and some of the country's top brass bands. It was a truly memorable night.
On Saturday, I visited the Central Estate in Dukinfield and the launch of the AGMA Benefit Bus. It was also the estate's community planting day and annual street party. Once again the weather was superb and a good day was had by all.
In the evening, I attended a dance performance at the Tameside Hippodrome by the Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company. The dance company are world champions, the performance of these young people was so professional and the costumes were out of this world. I am proud to say that Tameside was the start of the company's European tour and it was a fabulous evening.
I have another exciting schedule lined up next week and look forward to seeing you again soon.
See you next time.
Well what a great start to the year!
Following the Annual Council Meeting on Friday 18th May and the Mayoral Inauguration Ceremony, I was straight in to my duties as Civic Mayor.
I was honoured to preside at An Extraordinary Meeting of the Council to honour former Councillor Joe Fitzpatrick with the title of Honorary Alderman of the Borough.
Joe served the community of Hyde for over 30 years and fully deserved this accolade. It was a pleasure to be involved in the ceremony and to see Joe honoured in this way, surrounded by his family.
I will quickly skip over the events of Saturday 19th May as the result of the Cup Final was not the one I wanted. However, Manchester United have certainly had a good season and it was a proud day to see them play at the new Wembley Stadium.
On Monday 21st May, I was pleased to be invited to watch the final match of a Community Badminton Tournament in St Peter's Ward and I also attended the Annual General Meeting of the Hyde and District Scout Council.
On Tuesday, Teresa and I had a lovely evening at the Stockport Civic Reception as guests of the new Mayor and Mayoress and on Wednesday I was delighted to welcome my first visitors to the Mayor's Parlour for the official signing of “The Every Disabled Child Matters” Charter. I was then off to Tameside College to present prizes at the Annual Adult Learners Awards Evening.
On Thursday, I was joined by 90 French Primary School children from Armentieres. The children were in the Borough as guests of St Paul's Primary School in Stalybridge and I was pleased to have the opportunity to show them around the Mayor's Parlour, Council Chamber and Museum of the Manchester Regiment.
Later in the evening, Teresa and I attended the Annual SSAFA Forces Help Reception at Hemsley House in Salford. It was a really nice evening and it was good to meet up with the Mayors of the other Greater Manchester Boroughs.
On Friday afternoon, I was present at the unveiling of the Hyde Seal Statue outside Hyde Town Hall and on Sunday we had a wonderful day at the Dukinfield and Newton Whit Walks.
Despite the bad weather, it was good to see so many families enjoying this traditional event.
So it's been a busy but enjoyable first week and Teresa and I now look forward to the new week ahead.
See you next time.