Mayor’s blog – 6 September 2023
In theory, August is a holiday month in which everyone can relax a little and recharge the batteries. After the busy year that every member of the Council has had, and also all the extra work that the officers and staff here at Tewkesbury Borough Council have been doing, I guess we all needed a break. In August, there was no meeting of Full Council and the only committee scheduled to take place was the Planning Committee. Note the word ‘scheduled’ because there have been many expected and unexpected things happening. Extra meetings to help councillors understand their duties better, and smaller meetings that enable council work to continue have been taking place throughout the month.
So, you will be glad to know that even the Mayor and Mayoress were able to have some holiday. It felt quite strange leaving Tewkesbury Borough for a fortnight, but off we went to explore parts of France that we have not visited before… then the car started to be troublesome. Having sampled French cuisine and looked up old friends, we returned home – still worrying about the car. The inevitable happened
and we were dumped unceremoniously on the hard shoulder of the M4. And that is a very scary experience. We were rescued by our recovery service and a day later arrived home on the back of a truck along with our car. I’m glad to say that the car is back on the road. But it did not turn out to be a restful holiday. I hope that you have had a break – and that it was less stressful than ours.
Back home, I have attended two events during this quiet month. Both were thoroughly enjoyable. Firstly, a Fun Day in the Park in Churchdown. The weather behaved itself and hundreds of people came to enjoy the summer day. A lot of work had gone into that event and it paid off. The village is stronger and the whole community is richer for the event. Thanks to everyone who helped or shared in any way.
Fun Day at Churchdown
The other was a much smaller event in Hucclecote, at Pineholt Village Hall, where I was able to host a ‘Meet the Mayor’ coffee morning. It was good to spend some time chatting to residents and hearing their views. Thanks are due to Hucclecote Parish Council for their generous support at this event. Money was collected by those who came along for my charity – supporting the food banks in the borough. I hope to have more such events in other parts of the borough over the next few months.
Many of our young people will have been anxiously waiting for the GCSE and A level results. We have all seen the headlines. I wonder whether all the media attention simply piles extra stress on the students. These youngsters have put up with a very interrupted education due to lock down and the financial and other problems that schools are facing. I offer my congratulations to our young people and their teachers. I hope that the next stage of their life will bring great satisfaction. If things have not gone to plan, then do not despair. Take a deep breath and review your choices! Good luck.
If you have a garden or an allotment, then I hope you are now harvesting some fruit and vegetables. We have found this to be another difficult year in our garden – but Mayoress Christine has managed to coax some splendid crops – including an enormous pumpkin, that is now ready to be picked.
