Mr Mayor's Diary: December 2010
Wednesday 22 December 2010
A sad day today as the Mayoress and I, together with the Chief Executive and Leader of the council, attended the funeral of our friend and colleague, Councillor Vincent Devine. The church of St. Edmund's in Little Hulton was full to capacity with many people standing at the back. Many of Councillor Devine's councillor colleagues were present and I am sure he would have been proud to see so many in the church.
Tuesday 21 December 2010
The Mayoress and I welcomed a group of people from Salford Youth Service to the parlour and presented them with the Duke of Edinburgh Gold awards. These young people had worked extremely hard with various activities over a long period of time to gain the Gold awards.
In the afternoon we attended a citizenship ceremony where 56 applicants were granted British citizenship. The Mayoress and I gave them our congratulations.
In the evening we attended a Carol service at HMP Forest Bank, Agecroft Road, Pendlebury. We enjoyed the service very much and joined in with many popular carols.
Sunday 19 December 2010
The Mayoress and I attended a parish pilgrimage service with the Bishop of Manchester at St. Luke's church, Weaste. This was Bishop Nigel's last diocesan pilgrimage following his 'Run the Race' around many churches each week.
In the evening we attended Carols by Candlelight at Eccles parish church. It was an enjoyable service and we joined everyone for festive refreshments afterwards.
Thursday 16 December 2010
The Mayoress and I visited Parrenthorn High School in Prestwich for a Christmas event in aid of the charity 'Hurdles'. We enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine and were there with the Mayor and Mayoress of Bury.
Wednesday 15 December 2010
The Mayoress and I attended an evening of prayer at Salford Civic Centre. This was attended by many people from all denominations and was given a particular Christmassy theme.
Tuesday 14 December 2010
The Mayoress and I went along to The Friars Primary school for their performance of 'Alice in Wonderland'. We had a thoroughly entertaining afternoon.
In the evening we went to St. Mary's church in Cheadle for the Together Trust Carol service. This was a lovely service with many readings and carols.
Monday 13 December 2010
The Mayoress and I attended the joint Carol service between Salford City Council and Greater Manchester Police at Salford Cathedral. The cathedral was packed to capacity and there were performances from primary school children, from Walkden High School and from the BBC Philharmonic trio. The Greater Manchester Police band played a medley of Christmas songs as people entered and left the cathedral.
Sunday 12 December 2010
I went along to Buile Hill Park to attend Santas Letter Day organised by Friends of Buile Hill Park. There were plenty of people in attendance and I toured the many stalls and drew the raffle.
In the afternoon I went along to the St. John Ambulance Carol service and cadet enrolment at Manchester Cathedral.
In the evening the Mayoress and I attended Age Concern's 'Celebration of Christmas' at Salford Cathedral. I gave a reading and we enjoyed singing the many different carols.
Saturday 11 December 2010
The Mayoress and I visited the Fountains Nursing Home for their Christmas Fair. There were many residents and their families at the fair and there was a real festive buzz about the nursing home.
We followed on to the Claremont Ward at Salford Royal hospital to open their Christmas Fayre. We mingled with many people, drew the raffle and I gave a small speech about the value of older people within Salford.
Friday 10 December 2010
I welcomed Amy Faulkner, a young talented singer, to the Mayor's Parlour. Amy is a local girl who has made it through to the finals of the national talent contest, Festival4Stars. Amy has a wonderful voice and I was delighted when she agreed to sing a few numbers at my Charity Ball in February.
I opened the Winter Fair at Marlborough Road Primary school prior to being shown around the school by the School Council. There were many stalls and plenty of parents ready to make those special Christmas purchases.
The Mayoress and I went along to Irlam Catholic Club for a Cadishead Band Christmas concert. We enjoyed the concert and joined in with festive refreshments.
Thursday 9 December 2010
I welcomed a group of Chinese delegates to the Civic Centre from the China Ministry of Finance, Manchester Business School who are on a six month training programme.
Afterwards I went to The Booth Charities headquarters for an informal Christmas buffet lunch for distributors, partners and staff. It was nice to meet with many people who I have not seen for quite some time.
Later in the afternoon I visited Langdon College for their Chanukah celebrations. I thoroughly enjoyed the various activities they had arranged.
In the evening the Mayoress and I attended a Christmas race night at Buile Hill Park Hall hosted by the Environment Directorate in aid of my Charity Appeal. I drew the raffle and a total of £259.00 was made for my charity - well done to all concerned.
Wednesday 8 December 2010
The Mayoress and I had a photocall with newly recruited foster carers in the Mayor's parlour. There has been a region wide publicity campaign to recruit new carers and a giant 'book of fostering' has been created which carers can write in about their experiences.
Following this we welcomed Swinton and Worsley MENCAP, the Citizen Award winners (Community Groups) for November. The charity has been running for 61 years providing an excellent service for adults with learning disabilities and their carers. The society supports 70/80 people with learning disabilities on a weekly basis and approximately 80/90 carers many of whom are over the age of 65.
The society is supported by a dedicated group of sixteen volunteers who give their time freely to ensure that people with learning disabilities are not prisoners in their own homes. The society's vision is for a world where people with a learning disability are valued equally, lisitened to and included. They want everyone to have the opportunity to achieve the things they want from life.
In the evening we attended an exhibition and presentation evening for the 'Through the eyes of a child' calendar 2011 at Salford Art Gallery. I gave a congratulatory speech to the children who had taken part in the art competition for this calendar.
Tuesday 7 December 2010
The Mayoress and I visited the Hershel Weiss Children and Family Centre in Broughton for their Chanukah World competition. I judged the community menorah competition and looked round many interesting projects. We had a really enjoyable time.
In the evening we went along to Buile Hill Park Hall for the Salford Disabled Motorists annual Christmas dinner. We had a lovely evening and I gave a short speech in relation to the charities I am supporting during my year of office.
Friday 3 - Monday 6 December 2010
The Mayoress and I travelled to St. Ouen, one of our twin towns, as guests of the St. Ouen - Salford twinning committee. The main event of the weekend was the annual chess tournament which we went along to. The rest of the weekend was packed with visits to places of interest such as Notre Dame cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and other sights in Paris. We had a very busy time and our thanks go to the many people who organised this trip.
Thursday 2 December 2010
I opened a meeting of the Salford Children's Holiday Camp annual general meeting at the Civic Centre. It was interesting to hear all about the camp and listen to the various reports.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
The Mayoress and I visited Halperns Kosher store followed by Brackmans bakery and coffee shop. Plenty of shoppers were around and these events were made possible by staff at the Inter Link Foundation, which is one of my charities. There were bucket collections and raffles all making money for my appeal. I am waiting to hear how much was raised but well done to all concerned!
In the evening we went along to St. Luke's Parish hall on Derby Road, Salford, where we attended a community Christmas dinner. The food was delicious and we were well entertained by a variety of people.
This page was last updated on 13 January 2011
