Mayor’s blog – 22 October 2024
Posted on: 22 October 2024
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s blog time again! Here are a few events over the last month that show how varied the Mayor’s role can be.
The borough had a visit by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester on 20 September. It was an honour to welcome her alongside others that included the borough council’s Chief Executive Alistair Cunningham and Leader Cllr Richard Stanley. Her visit included a tour of Wheatpieces Community Centre to see a section of the activities that take there, and visits to the Stablemates project, Tewkesbury Nature Reserve and Tewkesbury Abbey.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester
The Mayoress and I enjoyed a cup of tea and some delicious home-made cakes at the Companionship Café, which is now held twice monthly at Churchdown Methodist Church. Elizabeth Cooper, or Lizzee as she prefers to be called, welcomed us and explained how the café came about and the sort of things available to guests. Activities include adult colouring and games such as scrabble. We chatted with those that had come along, and saw what a great place it is to meet others on a regular basis. Lizzee also explained that the café is suitable for people with dementia, which adds a fantastic dimension to what is already a great project. There was such a friendly atmosphere and I wish them well as it becomes established over the coming months.
I have to say, being a Tewkesburian, I love the Tewkesbury Mop Fair. One of my highlights of the Mayoral year was to open the fair. I can probably count on one hand the number of ‘Mops’ I have missed over the years and still, I have to admit, I get a bit excited seeing the fair lorries arrive and then to see them all disappear as if by magic two days later! I was welcomed to the fair by James Danter and, after the opening, had a ride on the dodgems before we walked around the other rides and stalls. Following the fair, I was presented with a cheque from the showman’s guild contributing to the Mayor’s charities which was very generous of them. This event is such an important part of Tewkesbury history and long may it continue.
On Saturday, 12 October, Lynne and I were invited to the Tewkesbury Town Band 50th year anniversary concert at Tewkesbury Abbey. What an achievement! And what an evening we had. A very large and excited crowd were able to enjoy a wide range of music performed by the training and main bands. Over the years they have gained significant achievements, entertaining audiences both locally and abroad. I was particularly moved by a piece entitled ‘A Peaceful Moment’, written by Jonathan Bates in memory of Becky Wilmot, a young percussionist from the band who died of cancer aged just 18 in 2014.
The evening ended with a well-deserved standing ovation.
