Mayor's Blog - September 2007
Mayoral Blog 2007/08
Councillor Michael Smith
And yet another week comes to a close.
My Mayoral engagements didn't actually start this week until Wednesday evening when Teresa and I attended the Greater Manchester East County Scout Council AGM at Dukinfield Town Hall.
On Thursday, I had a really busy day. I started by attending a celebration and launch event of the Tameside Children's Workforce Strategy at Denton Festival Hall. From here, I visited the Cake Studio in Denton where I was pleased to meet the owner, Mrs Helen Buckley and to learn a little about her business. Helen presented me with a beautiful cake to commemorate my visit.
In the afternoon I chaired a meeting of the Resources & Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel and in the evening I attended the official opening of the new extension of the Blu Spice Indian Restaurant in Ashton-under-Lyne.
On Friday, I visited Loxley House in Dukinfield to support their annual Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief before calling in at the Tesco store in Droylsden to offer my support to British Red Cross volunteers participating in a National Collection Day.
There were no Mayoral engagements over the weekend and therefore Teresa and I enjoyed spending time with the family and catching up on jobs at home.
See you next week.
Well what another great week!
On Monday evening, Teresa and I welcomed young people from Blocksages Youth Centre to the Mayor's Parlour. We have visited the centre on a couple of occasions over the past few weeks and it was nice to be able to return some of the hospitality.
On Tuesday I attended the Annual Awards Evening for the Tameside Branch of Rathbone - a charity which works to help young people who have had problems at home or school to get back on track and re-engage in education, training or employment. I had a lovely evening and it was great to meet the young people and to see first hand how they have managed to overcome their difficulties.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Wednesday but on Thursday I attended a Citizenship Ceremony at Dukinfield Town Hall and I also called in at an Open Day at Hurst Resource Centre. There were lots of activities to enjoy and it was good to meet the staff and service users. Afterwards, I attended the Annual Prize Giving at Audenshaw School where I assisted with presentation of awards along with the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and Andrew Gwynne MP.
On Friday evening, Teresa and I had a wonderful evening in the Town Hall at the Malayan Veterans Annual Dinner. We were fortunate to attend this event two years ago in our capacities as Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress. It was lovely to return again and to join the veterans on their special evening.
On Saturday, I was proud to officially re-open the Bennett Street Youth and Community Centre in Hyde. The centre has undergone major refurbishment and has been transformed much to the delight of the young people.
In the evening, Teresa and I attended a Junior Presentation Night at Ashton Cricket Club and then on Sunday I donned whites myself to take part in a Cricket Match at Denton West - The Mayor's XI v Denton West CC.
The day was great fun and I would like to thank the club for kindly staging the event and for their warm welcome and excellent hospitality.
See you next week.
Well another week comes to an end. I can't believe how quickly time goes by.
Teresa and I have had another great week and once again we would like to thank everybody for their kindness.
On Monday evening I welcomed representatives from Denton Women's Club to the Town Hall. The ladies enjoyed their visit particularly the tours of the Mayor's Parlour and Council Chamber.
On Tuesday I visited Newland Engineering in Hyde. The company was founded in 1962 and are one of the leading manufacturers of vehicle loading and unloading conveyors. It was a pleasure to be able to meet the management and staff and to learn more about the day to day running of the company.
On Wednesday evening, Teresa and I attended the launch of the Tameside Friends of Young Carers Charity. Young carers are a sometimes hidden group of children and young people, who carry worries and responsibilities that many adults
never have to face. The new charity will give extra support to help these young people get on with activities that are usually seen as part of a normal childhood. I was delighted to lend my support to the launch event and I was pleased to have the opportunity to be able to meet some of the Borough's young carers. Actor Bill Tarmey kindly gave his time to support the evening.
On Thursday I was joined by three pupils from the School Council at Cromwell High School. The children were very excited about visiting the Mayor's Parlour and were keen to learn about my role as Civic Mayor, we had a great time and it was a pleasure to welcome them to the Town Hall.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Friday and Saturday but on Sunday Teresa and I visited the Festival Hall in Denton where we attended a fascinating exhibition by the Denton Local History Society and the spectacular Denton Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society Early Show.
See you next week.
There were no Mayoral engagements on Monday, therefore my 'official duties' started on Tuesday.
First of all I called in to offer my congratulations and good wishes to Mrs Catherine Breen of Daisy Nook House in Ashton on the occasion of her 100th birthday. From here, I visited staff and volunteers at Victim Support and Witness Service Tameside before quickly dashing over to the Town Hall to prepare for a meeting of Full Council.
On Wednesday evening, I attended the official opening of the new Studio Workshop of Mossley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society.
There were no engagements on Thursday but on Friday, Teresa and I hosted a Civic Dinner and Dance in the Town Hall, probably one of our biggest functions of the year.
Guests included Civic Heads of Greater Manchester, local dignitaries, former Mayors of Tameside and family and friends. It was a fabulous evening, enjoyed by all.
We had a busy day on Saturday. Events included the Mossley Olympics at Egmont Street Playing Fields and then visits to St George's Church in Hyde, Old Chapel in Dukinfield and St Anne's Church in Denton to help celebrate their Heritage Open Days. We had a great time and I even had the opportunity to climb the bell tower at St George's Church and visit the crypt at Old Chapel.
On Sunday, Teresa and I took part in the Denton and Audenshaw Carnival. The weather was kind to us and the atmosphere as always was brilliant! We had a smashing day and the turn out was fabulous.
To close the week, I joined members of the congregation at Denton Methodist Church on Sunday evening as part of their Heritage Weekend celebrations. The service included music from the Uppermill Brass Band and hymns to celebrate the tercentenary of Charles Wesley.
Teresa and I would like to thank everybody who has helped make the week so enjoyable.
We look forward to seeing you all again soon.
See you next time.