Mr Mayor's Diary: August 2006
Monday 28 August
We travelled to Winton for the second Winton Festival of the Year in the grounds of the Brown Cow. The local people work very hard to make things even better for the people of Winton. Everyone was having fun and money was being raised for the local football teams and the Salfordian Holiday home. There were some excellent prizes but I did not manage to draw out my own ticket!
Tuesday 29 August
We attended a meeting of my Charity Committee to see how plans are developing for our fund-raising activities. The Bonaza Raffle tickets should be printed shortly. This will be drawn in April 2007; tickets will be £1 each with 6 main prizes from £1000 down to £50. We have written letters to most of the businesses and workplaces in Salford (all those we knew of anyway) asking them to support the charities and offering them opportunities to join in with the social events. A group of volunteers joined us after the meeting to help put all these letters into envelopes ready for distribution. We were also helped by some friends and relations, but the backbone of the volunteers were a large group from Age Concern. Between us we “stuffed” nearly 4000 envelopes!! We will publish our timetable of forthcoming events after the next Charity Committee meeting when many things should be finalised. We look forward to meeting you at one of these fundraising events.
We have no more engagements this week and will be taking a short holiday next week we will be back “in chains” from 12 September.
Monday 28 August
We travelled to Winton for the second Winton Festival of the Year in the grounds of the Brown Cow. The local people work very hard to make things even better for the people of Winton. Everyone was having fun and money was being raised for the local football teams and the Salfordian Holiday home. There were some excellent prizes but I did not manage to draw out my own ticket!
Tuesday 29 August
We attended a meeting of my Charity Committee to see how plans are developing for our fund-raising activities. The Bonaza Raffle tickets should be printed shortly. This will be drawn in April 2007; tickets will be £1 each with 6 main prizes from £1000 down to £50. We have written letters to most of the businesses and workplaces in Salford (all those we knew of anyway) asking them to support the charities and offering them opportunities to join in with the social events. A group of volunteers joined us after the meeting to help put all these letters into envelopes ready for distribution. We were also helped by some friends and relations, but the backbone of the volunteers were a large group from Age Concern. Between us we “stuffed” nearly 4000 envelopes!! We will publish our timetable of forthcoming events after the next Charity Committee meeting when many things should be finalised. We look forward to meeting you at one of these fundraising events.
We have no more engagements this week and will be taking a short holiday next week; we will be back “in chains” from 12 September.
Tuesday 1 August
I chaired a meeting of my Charity Committee in the Parlour at Salford Civic Centre. We discussed ways in which we could raise money for my four charities:
Age Concern in Salford which supports older people
CAFOD – a fund for overseas development which has an office in Kersal, Salford;
Feryal Rajah Trust – which supports women who are pursuing a career in medicine and allied professions and was set up in memory of the city council Leader’s late wife;
Salford Children’s Holiday Camp which provides holiday opportunities for children.
We discussed a number of exciting ideas. If anyone would like to join this committee of volunteers they are most welcome and should contact Cathy Pickup in the Mayor’s Office on 0161 793 3064. We hope to publish the programme shortly and hope you might help us make lots of money for these very deserving causes.
Wednesday 2 August
We joined the founder, Jeanette Ball. and the staff of “Helping Hands”, for its official citywide launch and the opening of their new office on Partington Lane in Swinton. Helping Hands is supported by The Big Lottery and works in partnership with Community Health and Social Care and the Primary Care Trust to provide assistance to people over 65, vulnerable people and families with children under five who are also of limited income with such things as changing light bulbs, decorating, fixing things and gardening. In Salford each year about 10 000 elderly people fall and 4000 of these are never active again. This is a huge number of people and Helping Hands exists to support people in their homes by doing things they can’t do for themselves and hopefully reducing the number of falls! The workers are all skilled workers and have been vetted for their trustworthiness. They will do a quality job for a reasonable price. We think it is a marvellous scheme and we met many people who have used the service and think the same.
Thursday 3 August
This was quite a busy day! We had been invited to go along to an Open Day and Summer Fair at Midfield Court in Northumberland Street, Broughton. Lionel and Marjorie showed us around. This sheltered housing complex was lovely and very homely. The gardens were beautiful and well maintained by some of the residents who have recently invested in a green house. They may extend their growing skills to vegetables as well as the lovely flowers. The residents were donating a large proportion of the money they raised to Francis House, the Hospice for Children. Marjorie is 92 and has lived at Midfield court for thirty years, moving in shortly after it opened!
From there we went off to our weekly admin meeting at the Salford Civic Centre where we discussed our planned engagements for next week.
In the evening we were delighted to attend the licensing of Dr Jeremy Sheehy as the new Team Rector for the Swinton and Pendlebury Team Ministry, at St Peter’s Church, Swinton. The church was packed. Dr Sheehy comes to St Peter’s from Oxford where he has been the principal of St Stephen’s Theological College. Four Bishops were present! The service was conducted by the Bishop of Manchester, Nigel McCulloch, and the sermon was preached by the Bishop of Beverley. We wish Dr Jeremy well in his new home.
Saturday 5 August
We made our first visit to the new Sports’ Village at Littleton Road, Kersal, where Salford Community Leisure were hosting a Mini soccer Festival for 1600 children aged from 6 to 12. This was a two-day event and we met teams from near and far: Denton, Saddleworth, Rochdale, Middleton, Audenshaw, Openshaw, Swinton, Kersal to name a few. Local children from Charlestown and Lower Kersal were given free entry into the festival. The event was sponsored by many businesses, the main one being Miller Homes. It was supported by, Manchester Football Association and Salford City Council Sports’ Development Team. It was an excellent occasion and the youngsters thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I and the Leader of the council, councillor John Merry, presented Medals and Trophies which were awarded for Fair Play in each age group, the scores being of secondary importance. This was a superb event at a top class facility in Salford.
In the afternoon, we travelled to Beswick, Manchester, to the Peace Garden. This garden was set up about three years ago by the mothers - both called June - of two young women who tragically lost their lives together as the result of a road crash while travelling with a friend in a car which was driven too fast. It happened on Joanne’s 21st birthday and the girls had been life-long friends. Joanne would have been 27 on 6 August, the day after this memorial gathering. This beautiful garden is a memorial to many others too who have lost their lives in a similar way. The Peace Garden is a project of the campaigning group Road Peace which works, among other actions, to exclude the phrase “road or traffic accident” from the vocabulary and substitute “accident” with the word crash or collision. Several councils, including Salford, are now taking this on board and changing the language in which they speak of road collisions, injuries and deaths. There was a roll call of many names and flowers laid and balloons released in memory of those killed. We were shocked to hear that 10 people are killed in road crashes every day in the UK!
Sunday 6 August
Today we were the guests of the Tame Valley Classic and Vintage Car Club and joined them on their annual rally and fund raising day. We joined the club at Hyde Road where all the magnificent vehicles were assembled. There were Model T Fords, early Daimlers and Jaguars, a collection of classic American cars, MG sports vehicles of wide age-span, and an antique Renault called “Froggy”. There must have been fifty altogether. We travelled in a beautiful yellow and black carriage, which was well upholstered to compensate for the lack of suspension, as guests of Bill and Mike; as the cars rolled past, many people stopped to look at this stunning collection of old-time charabancs. We went up to Macclesfield where we were welcomed by the Mayor and Mayoress. The cars parked for a while in the Town Hall Square and many local people came to admire them while we had a cup of tea in their magnificent town hall. The Macclesfield Mayor and Mayoress then joined us as far as Wilmslow. From there we travelled via Prestbury, Handforth and Longsight to the rear carpark of the Manchester Science Museum. The Managing Director of the Museum, Tony Hill, was waiting to greet us and together with Tony I judged some of the prize categories. A raffle and auction were held in aid of the British Heart Foundation and I presented trophies to the winning owners in different categories including best kept vehicle and best fancy dress (for occupants)! It was a great day; everyone had fun and raised several hundred pounds for the charity in the process.
Tuesday 8 August
The Pendlebury Coyotes are preparing for their trip to New York to take part in an international Roller Hockey tournament there. It’s a trip of a lifetime for the team who meet regularly at Fit City, Camp Street, Broughton, on Tuesday evenings, to practice and play local matches. By September they will have eight teams of eleven a side. We joined the manager Anthony Camillieri and the Chair of the Board of Salford Community Leisure Ltd, who have help them with some sponsorship, for a photo shoot and to watch a training session. The speed and force of this in-line game is tremendous. Salford has a very fit team of men and women in the Pendlebury Coyotes. We had a great evening and were able to send greetings from the City of Salford to the Mayor of New York.
Thursday 10 August
We attended an administration meeting and then went along to Seedley and Langworthy where the National In Bloom judges had spent the morning judging the area which had entered this competition at national level for the first time. The standard was extremely high and the judges (one from Scarborough and one from the Channel Islands) were very impressed. So were we - both by the variety and quantity of local neighbourhood projects, which have been developed by local residents to make the streets and open areas of Seedley and Langworthy look so welcoming and beautiful. The judges were not allowed to give their final verdict as they still had some more places to visit, but they spoke very highly of the level of community involvement; and we heard from local people of the difference this involvement, and interest, in the floral decoration of the area has made such a huge, positive difference to life and relationships among local residents. Our MP Hazel Blears presented local awards to particular streets and individuals who had made the greatest difference.
We wish them luck in the national contest; but whatever the outcome they have much to be proud of!
In the evening we joined fellow Mayor’s at the Sheridan Suite on Oldham Road, for a celebration of Adam Day. This was the fourth annual celebration hosted by the Azeemia Foundation, which has its roots in Sufism, a kind of Islamic mysticism. The Foundation teaches universal love, harmony and compassionate interrelations between all human beings. Since 2003, these values have been celebrated on a special day known as Adam Day, to remind us that we have all come from the same source: the first human being. By focussing on the common source, the foundation promotes the idea of oneness and unity. But this unity may appear in many different ways as represented by all cultures of the world. This year the focus was on “Unity in Diversity” to emphasize the fact that in our differences we share the same aspirations for the growth and development of the human spirit. There were representatives of all main cultures, faiths and nationalities who came together in prayer, song and statements of common ground. We brought greetings from the City of Salford and a hope for peace throughout the world.
Saturday 12 August
We were the guests of the Royal British Legion at a Reception and Band Concert at Manchester Cathedral to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of the Legion. This concert was to be the last given on the UK mainland by the Band of the Royal Irish Regiment before being disbanded and members dispersed to other regimental bands. The regiment has its origins in Enniskillen in 1689 but the current band was founded in 1993 following the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1992. The concert was excellent and the band was joined by the Pipes for a couple of pieces. There was a raffle and collection to start this year’s Poppy Day Appeal in November. The Royal British Legion continue to do amazing and much-needed work with and for former members of our armed services and are very deserving of our support. On Sunday, the Band was due to attend a dedication service of a memorial in Philip’s Park, Gorton, to Irish Rangers Hugh Thompson and Charles McLaughlin who lost their lives answering a call whilst on fire fighting duties in Manchester during the firemen’s strike of 1977.
Sunday 13 August
We made our way to St Clement’s Church, Ordsall, for a service of thanksgiving and rededication on the Royal British Legion’s 85th Anniversary. This was a more local event. Members processed from The Salford British Legion Club, in Ordsall, to the Church of St Clement’s for the service where we were welcomed by the Vicar Rev Rachel Ross and the congregation. We remembered the past, thought about the present and prayed for the future of our nation and our world, and for the men and women who serve in our armed forces. We prayed for peace. We listened to scripture readings and an address, which focussed our thoughts on the need for truth, integrity and justice in each of our lives, in our families and local communities. The Mayoress and I, accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire and his wife, Sir John and Lady Timmins, stood to attention as the parade, led by the Cadishead Band and Standard Bearers, passed, on its return to the Royal British Legion Club for refreshments and a concert.
Later that day, the Mayoress and I were guests at the Pakistani Independence Day Celebrations (actually on 14th August) at the Pakistani Community Association in Longsight, Manchester. We were joined by the Mayor of Wigan and the former Lord Mayor of Manchester, Adsfel Khan. Other guests included the new Consul for Pakistan, Lord Ahmed, representatives from the Indian and Bangladeshi communities and Tony Lloyd MP. (Pakistan has been an independent country now for 59 years.) We met the Imam from the Levenshulme Mosque who is, he told us, actually the longest serving Imam in Manchester, having been Imam at the first Manchester mosque many years ago. The Imam exhorted families to know what their children are doing, to talk with their children and to assist their integration into British society. Lord Ahmed encouraged the Pakistani people to engage in community work and local politics, to work for justice and peace within communities.
Today a group of young people were launching a show for the Pakistani community on radio (96.9 fm) and Tony Lloyd, the Mayor of Wigan and myself were interviewed on this live show bringing greetings to the community for Independence Day. Later, the Mayoress and I were interviewed again about our roles as Mayor and Mayoress and as local councillors. We wish them success with this venture. We shared a meal with a group of community leaders and the Mayoress had a henna design painted on her hand!
Sadly, it was during the afternoon that we learned of the death of the current Lord Mayor of Manchester, councillor James Ashley losing a brave battle to cancer. May he rest in peace.
And so we came to the end of a week of great contrasts and significant world events! These greatly point up the need for us all to continue to work to build up good community relationships which promote unity in diversity; to replace prejudice and ignorance with the development of tolerance and understanding; to particularly enable our young people - of whatever creed, colour or culture - to live in goodwill, promoting peace, equality and justice for all throughout every aspect of life.
Tuesday 15 August
We attended a Citizenship Ceremony for a group of people who have come from many parts of the world to live and work in Salford. The group included someone born in Australia of emigrant parents who had returned to Salford shortly after his birth, an American who has lived and worked in Salford for forty years, nurses and doctors from China and the Philippines who have lived and worked in Salford for a number of years, others in diverse occupations from Ukraine, Nigeria, and the Congo. The ceremony is very impressive with applicants taking serious promises to be good citizens of this country in front of the Mayor and Chief Registrar of the City, after which they were presented with a certificate.
Wednesday 16 August
The Mayoress and I were guests of Broughton House Home for ex Service Personnel, Broughton, Salford for their Ninetieth Anniversary Celebratory Luncheon. This was held in a marquee in the grounds of Broughton House. The rain held back for the event! We met some lovely people who give their time and energy, as Trustees or major fundraisers, to ensure that the future of Broughton House is secured for ex-service personnel of today and the future. Originally Broughton House was one of five such homes founded for Lancashire ex-servicemen by Lord Derby in 1916. Only Broughton House survives; it has recently been modernised and offers first-class facilities for the residents. The Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Colonel Sir John Timmins KCVO, OBW, TD, is president of the Broughton House Home and gave a very interesting address during the lunch. Grace was said by the Very Reverend Ken Riley OBE, MA and the Loyal Toast proposed by Surgeon Commander John Curt OBE, RD, DL, RNR (Rtd). Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter KCVO, OBE Controller of the Army Benevolent Fund, replied to Sir John Timmins. Bill Roache - an ex-army officer in his pre-Coronation Street life - and his wife were also there; Bill does quite a lot of work for Broughton House. It was wonderful to hear of the work of the Trust and the team and voluntary work carried out by all the employees at Broughton House for their residents.
In the evening I was a guest of the Football Association at the England International Friendly Match with Greece at Old Trafford. The final score was 4-0 to England! It was very interesting meeting the officials of the FA, many of whom have been international stars in their own right.
Thursday 17 August
Staff from the Environment Directorate whose main work is looking after the trees in our City, have recently created a fantastic business opportunity for Salford in recycling some of the bigger pieces of wood which are by-products of their work. Some of the wood is already used to create soft surfaces in children’s playgrounds or weed-stoppers in ornamental gardens. Now, the bigger pieces are burnt in a kiln to produce charcoal for barbeque stoves. It used to cost £40 a tonne to put surplus waste wood in land-fill sites. Now it costs £20 to turn two tonnes of waste wood into charcoal. This charcoal will be on sale in our civic garden centres at Buile Hill and Princes Park at a cost of £2 per bag. We hope they sell lots. Well done Ged Collins and colleagues in the Tree Surgery Department! We met Ged in the Parlour at the Civic Centre today for a photo shoot, with the Mayoress, Ged and I holding one of the new bags of charcoal.
We stayed on in the Parlour to receive fellow-judges for the Heart of Salford Awards organised through the council for Voluntary Service. There were seven categories of award, one winner for each category and an overall winner to be found. Each entrant was nominated by someone else for their voluntary work IN Salford; some of the volunteers have been doing amazing stuff in the community for nearly thirty years. Every single one of them has made a significant difference to the community or organisation in which they are involved. There were over a hundred nominees and we had a very difficult job selecting the winner in each category. Fellow judges included people from the Lowry Theatre and Art Gallery, Salford City Police, and the Local Strategic Partnership. All will be revealed on 27 September at the Award Presentation. So – watch this space!
Friday 18 August
We attended an administration meeting at the Salford Civic Centre and then I went off to the BBC Centre on Oxford Road, Manchester to take part in a series of interviews of Greater Manchester Mayors, which has been happening this week on the Mike Shaft slot on Radio Manchester – perhaps you heard it! The interview was broadcast live and I was just warming to my themes when the slot came to an end. It was a great experience and Mike Shaft was a lovely person to be interviewed by.
Saturday 19 August
We travelled first to Queensmere Lodge at Queensway, Swinton for the start of a conservation day and grand opening of new fishing platforms and coaching facilities for Swinton and Pendlebury Anglers. The new fishing platforms make this angling site the ONLY fully accessible site in the whole of Great Britain – another first for Salford!! The fishing “pegs” (the places where anglers set up their gear to fish) are made of concrete and have a low rail and security points to prevent wheel-chairs from rolling into the water and also allow enough space for coaches to sit alongside the angler. This is an improvement for all anglers. I opened the new pegs and we joined young people who make up the competition angling team at the club and other young people (all aged from 9 to 16) who came along to try angling for the first time. Mr Bob Docherty (Youth and Coaching Development Worker at the club) and his team of volunteers have worked hard over the last few years to reclaim the Lodge for anglers and have rebuilt a thriving club with well over 100 members. During the last twelve months more than 700 young people (mostly young men and boys) have been going along to have a go and many have become regular members of the club. If anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact Bob on 0161 727 8913.
From there we went on to Albert Park, Broughton, at the invitation of Broughton Trust to visit Broughton Festival and Fun Day. By this time, it had begun to rain. Luckily Salford Events Team had been at the park since 7am setting up marquees, and we found everyone crowded but happy taking shelter there. The weather did not dampen spirits and the day was well supported by many hundreds of people in spite of it. There were lots to see and do and the Mayoress and I learned about the new housing and leisure facility developments in the area; we met the Friends of Albert Park and looked at plans to bring the park back to a more vibrant life in the community and studied various designs. There were birds of prey, plants to look at or buy; raffles; a clown; a rock-climbing wall; a couple of fair-ground rides; T shirt designing; face painting; street dancing. Everyone was busy doing something. We met lots of people, many of whom we know, as we were on our home patch in Broughton. Well done Broughton Trust.
In the evening we went to Wythenshawe Forum, guests of the Indian Association, to join British Indian people and their families celebrating Indian Independence Day. Along with other Mayors and Deputies from Manchester, Bury, Trafford, and Stockport, we were entertained by members of the Indian Association of Greater Manchester. There was dance: traditional and modern, singing and music – old and Bollywood. The traditional dance was particularly graceful and skillful. The costumes were magnificent and the young people obviously enjoyed presenting the show. The Tap and Modern Dance item was very dramatic and athletic! The Fashion Show of Costumes from the different states of India was fascinating and all were so beautiful. Most of the programme was performed by young people. One of the older compares, Dr Rout, entertained us with some jokes! We tried to join in with the Indian National Anthem and all of us joined in with our own British Anthem. It was an excellent and memorable evening.
Sunday 20 August
Today we were guests of the Manchester Oriental Organisations Alliance for the 2006 Community Charity Dragon Boat Race held at Salford Water Sports Centre at Salford Quays. This was the fourth annual event. Thirty-six teams of twelve people took part in three rounds of heats. The six teams with the fastest average times took place in the final. Each boat was like a long canoe with a colourfully painted dragon-head on the bow. Teams were made up of groups from clubs and work places all over Greater Manchester and had all obtained sponsors to raise money for their particular charity. The team from Boots the Chemist in Manchester hoped to raise £1000 for Cancer Research! This year wheelchair competitors have been able to take part and a team from Jigsaw in Bury joined in the fun including the Mayoress’s Godson. The overall winner of the day was Agecroft Rowing Club from Salford – some might say you would expect that wouldn’t you? Between races a group of young musicians and dancers performed the Lion Dance and a lady demonstrated Thai dance. It was a splendid event and visited by about 5000 people with nearly 500 participants. Well done to the organisers and we look forward to next year.
Friday 25 August
We attended a celebration of the life of the Lord Mayor of Manchester, councillor Jack Ashley JP who died recently. This was held in the Great Hall at Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square. The hall was packed with family, friends and colleagues. His three sons and his wife, Kate spoke movingly of their life together. councillor Ashley had served Manchester as a councillor for 20 years and as a Magistrate for 34 years. He was widowed when his children were very young, brought them up and met and married Kate just 12 years ago. After the tributes from family and colleagues the end of the service, the Bishop of Manchester, Rt Reverend Nigel McCulloch, led the congregation in the Civic Prayer of Manchester, a prayer which summed up in a large way, the attitude of Cllr Ashley to his city and in his work for its people:
“Grant us, O God, a vision of our City, fair as she might be; a city of justice, where none shall prey on others; a city of plenty, where poverty shall cease to fester; a city in community, where success shall be founded on service, and honour be given to worth alone; a city of peace, where order shall not rest on force, but on mutual respect. Hear the silent prayer of our hearts as we each pledge our time and strength and thought to speed the day of her coming beauty and righteousness.”
Sunday 27 August
We were guests of “The Friends of Buile Hill Park” at the Salford Show, which is held there annually. We had been asked to help judge the Flower Show. here were several different categories of entry and the choice not easy except in one where there was only one entry! We toured the show and spoke to many of the Car Boot vendors whose entry fee goes towards the work of Friends of Buile Hill. There was a fair, a Majorette Competition and a Dog Show – a lot to interest people. Another marquee held the entries in the fruit and vegetable contest held by the Allotment Association of Salford – you should have seen the marrows. The Mayoress picked up a lot of tips for her own allotment! The rain held off for most of the morning and the brief shower ensured that everyone went inside the marquees at least once. Salford Events Team provided their support and rose once again splendidly to the occasion.
Monday 28 August
We travelled to Winton for the second Winton Festival of the Year in the grounds of the Brown Cow. The local people work very hard to make things even better for the people of Winton. Everyone was having fun and money was being raised for the local football teams and the Salfordian Holiday home. There were some excellent prizes but I did not manage to draw out my own ticket!
Tuesday 29 August
We attended a meeting of my Charity Committee to see how plans are developing for our fund-raising activities. The Bonaza Raffle tickets should be printed shortly. This will be drawn in April 2007; tickets will be £1 each with 6 main prizes from £1000 down to £50. We have written letters to most of the businesses and workplaces in Salford (all those we knew of anyway) asking them to support the charities and offering them opportunities to join in with the social events. A group of volunteers joined us after the meeting to help put all these letters into envelopes ready for distribution. We were helped by some friends and relations, but the backbone of the volunteers was a large group from Age Concern. Between us we “stuffed” nearly 4000 envelopes!! We will publish our timetable of forthcoming events after the next Charity Committee meeting when many things should be finalised. We look forward to meeting you at one of these fundraising event
We have no more engagements this week and will be taking a short holiday next week; we will be back “in chains” from 12 September.
This page was last updated on 4 October 2009
