Mr Mayor's Diary
Thursday 1 September
We attended a Civic visit and tour of Tameside. It started off with a guided tour of the Portland Basin Heritage Museum. Then we boarded The Stanley Rose Canal Boat for a short journey along the Peak Forest Canal to Newton, Hyde. We were then taken by coach to the Town Hall, Ashton-Under-Lyne to be greeted by 2 Roman Soldiers who escorted us to Setanitii Visitors Centre for a guided tour. After lunch we went on another guided tour of the Museum of the Manchester Regiment. Also on the visit were The High Sheriff and some of the Mayors and Mayoresses of Greater Manchester. Many thanks to the Mayor of Tameside for inviting us to what was a most interesting day.
Friday 2 September
Today we attended a charity evening at The Irish World Heritage Centre, Queens Road, Cheetham Hill, Manchester. This was in aid of Waterside, Billy Lane, Clifton, an adult resource centre which provides opportunities for adults with learning difficulties to fulfil their potential. The hospitality we received was great, the entertainment was good many thanks to every one else who attended for your support and making it a great night.
Saturday 3 September
We attended The Langworthy Festival at Chimney Pot Park, Salford. We opened the event and introduced the first act, Seedley and Langworthy Aces, Morris Dancing Troupe, who were very good. Then we walked about speaking to various people and you could sense the Community atmosphere. From there we went across to visit Langworthy Cornerstone which is a drop in centre supporting young families. Thank you to everybody for taking us on a tour around the Cornerstone and for the hospitality we received.
Sunday 4 September
Today we were invited to the 89th Anniversary Service of Broughton House, at St Pails Church, Moor Lane, Salford. Also in attendance was The Lord High Sheriff, The Lord Lieutenant and other Mayors and Mayoresses from the Manchester area. The service was very moving and the sermon was given by Cannon John Sykes, Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen. He paid tribute to the work that Broughton House do. After the service we went to Broughton House (somewhere I have always wanted to visit) and were shown round and met some of the war veterans. My generation will never know what these people went through. Many thanks to every one concerned for inviting us.
Later that evening we attended a welcome service for the new minister Rev David Hamflett, at St Paul's Methodist Church, Irlam. There was a very nice service to welcome David and his wife Ann. As I said during my welcome speech, the circuit have sent you to the best area, that being Irlam and Cadishead. May I take this opportunity to wish David all the very best in his new roll and also to thank Rev Roger Stubbings for inviting us.
Monday 5 September
I hosted a meeting of my Charity Committee at Salford Civic Centre, Swinton, to finalise arrangements for some of the events I am hoping to hold.
Tuesday 6 September
We sat on the Heart of Salford Award Panel held in the Mayors Parlour at the Civic Centre. If it was left to me everyone who was nominated for an award would get one, but unfortunately that’s not allowed. The people that were nominated do startling work and I am looking forward to meeting them later this month.
Thursday 8 September
Today we hosted a civic visit and tour of Salford Quays for all the other Mayors and Mayoresses of Manchester and Rossendale. We began at the Copthorne Hotel and went by boat up the Manchester Ship Canal and onto the River Irwell to The Lowry Hotel, then back to the Watersports Centre, Salford Quays. After lunch we all walked to the Designer Outlet and then onto the Lowry Centre, where we were given a tour of the Theatres. Everybody said how much they enjoyed the day.
Saturday 10 September
We were invited by the Rotary and Inner Wheel clubs of Irlam to the unveiling of the newly refurbished Thomas the Tank Engine in his new home along Cadishead Way. This was following a sponsored 2km walk along the new stretch of Cadishead Way. It was good to see so many primary school children participating in the walk and I will always remember the reception we received when we got out of the car. A big thank you to everyone. The train originates from the old soap works in Irlam and was moved quite a few years ago to Princes Park Irlam and now to its present site. Many thanks to Birse for making it all possible.
Later in the afternoon we went to attend The Eccles Friendship Festival at Eccles Recreational Ground. We spoke to a lot of people and it was good to see the Eccles Air Training Corps lads there. A most enjoyable afternoon.
Sunday 11 September
We attended the Samaritans Open Day at Oxford Street, Manchester. Following a video and tour of the offices I spoke to a few of the volunteers, the outcome of which was very interesting. These people do a magnificent job so if anyone needs there help please get in touch with them, you have nothing to loose but everything to gain. A big thank you for the reception we received.
Monday 12 September
This afternoon I chaired a meeting of the Council Agenda Setting Group to go through the agenda for this months Council Meeting. Later in the evening we attended the Salford Reds Player of the Year Presentation Evening at The Willows Variety Centre. It is good to see so many young people taking an interest in rugby. Awards were made to under 18s, under 21s and of course the players "Player of the Year", the coaches and supporters awards which was presented to Malc Alker. Also Bill McLaughlin (photographer for The Advertiser) won the Salford Reds "Clubman of the Year", the first time the award has gone to someone from outside the club, one of the best, but I would say that as Bill comes from Irlam. We had a great night, thanks to every one.
Tuesday 13 September
We attended a Recruitment Day on the front lawns of the Civic Centre. I was amazed at how many people turned up to this event. We spoke to lots of people here and also found that there was lot of information available for people to get help when coming off benefits and going into full time employment. I hope a lot of the people who were there have success in gaining employment.
Wednesday 14 September
We attended the Greater Manchester Police Long Service and Gallantry Awards at the Civic Centre in the company of The Chief Constable. Awards and medals were given for long service and good conduct to various members of the Police Force. The Certificate of The Chief Constables Commendation was awarded to Katherine Moore, Wayne Coleiro and Sean Dutton. This was awarded for the actions Katherine Moore took when trying to save a young Slovakian woman in Silk Street, Salford, last year and Katherine finished up being stabbed eight times. It was a real honour for us to meet Katherine.
Later that evening we attended the Annual General Meeting of the Council of Christian and Jews, Manchester Branch, at the Friends Meeting House, Mount Street. Manchester. Following the AGM a talk was given on Refugees who came over to Manchester and Salford during the War years. Also in attendance were other Mayors from Manchester area,
Thursday 15 September
Today we visited the St Ann's Hospice Information Day at St Ann's Hospice, Heald Green. Also in attendance were The Mayor of Stockport, Garry Titley MEP and Mark Hunter MP for Cheadle. We attended this event last year and the aim of the day is to set pupils from various school in the Manchester area a challenge, this year it was Citizenship. May I thank everyone for the hospitality we received.
We went from here to attend the Launch of the Mills and Looms Exhibition at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park. After opening the event we walked round talking to lots of people about the days of the cotton trade it was very interesting.
Afterwards we made our way back to Swinton to attend a meeting of the Town Twinning Forum at the Civic Centre. The chairman informed us that he had just recently returned from a visit to Lunen and what told us he had seen there. Plans were put forward for future visits to other Twin Towns.
Friday 16 September
We attended the official opening of Cadishead Way Stage 2. We set off by boarding a No 45 Hollins Green Salford City Bus, at Boysnope Park Golf Club, to take us up to Cadishead Way. Following speeches from myself, Ian Stewart MP and Derek Twigg MP, Minister for Transport, myself and the Minister unveiled the stone marking the event and cut the ribbon to formally open the road. After boarding the bus again we travelled back down the new road back to the Golf Club. Local Councillors and our MP have been fighting for this stretch of road for years. The late Councillor Jack Smith cut the first sod of Cadishead Way Stage 1 and it was opened by Cllr Joe Murphy in 1992. The fight then started for phase 2, myself and the late Councillors Mike McDermott and Arnie Holt were heavily involved, then councillors Christine Hudson, Keith Mann and MP Ian Stewart got involved later. This a great day for Cadishead and also for the partnership between Salford City Council (Urban Vision) and Birse Construction.
Later that evening we attended the 292 (Eccles) Squadron Air Training Corps Presentation of Awards Evening at Elm Bank Masonic Hall, Eccles. We had a really good time, what these Cadets do is unbelievable. Just to give an example, there was a girl there, aged 14, who had navigated an RAF helicopter, what an achievement and that is only mentioning one Cadet. We talked to a few of the parents, they must have been really proud of there children. Many thanks to the officers for making us so welcome
Sunday 18 September
We attended the Battle of Britain Church Parade Service at Eccles Parish Church. This was again very well attended by Eccles 292 Squadron and local people. It was nice to see the window commemorating all the local people that were killed in The Battle of Britain.
Later that afternoon we attended the Royal Air Force Association Annual Battle of Britain Parade at Swinton Cenotaph. A short service was held and a wreath was laid by one of the veterans and Irlam Band provided the music. After the service we spoke to the few veterans that were there.
Tuesday 20 September
We attended a Citizenship Ceremony at the Civic Centre. This month about 12 people received the honour of becoming British Citizens. After the ceremony they came into the Mayor's Parlour for a cup of tea and a chat.
Later that evening we attended The Greater Manchester West, County Scouts Council, Annual General Meeting at Leigh Rugby League Club. Also in attendance was The Lord Lieutenant and The Mayor and Mayoress of Wigan. After the AGM was over and the various awards were given out, a very interesting presentation was given by some of the scouts on what they had done to receive the awards. Well done to you all.
Wednesday 21 September
We opened the Environment Open Day, on the front lawns of the Civic Centre, after which we walked round looking at the various displays that were there and talking to the staff. It was really interesting to learn about the promotion of Healthy Eating in Schools by Citywide Catering.
At lunch time we hosted a reception in the Mayor's Parlour for Mrs Herta Chomley, the Mayors Citizen Award winner for September. Mrs Chomley was nominated by Councillor Bernard Pennington who paid tribute to the work that she has done for the Salford Talking Newspaper and the work she still does for partially sighted and blind people. Councillor Ian McDonald and Councillor Norman Owen also paid there own tribute to her. This was followed by the monthly meeting of the full council.
Thursday 22 September
We attended a Civic Tour of Rossendale with Mayors from all over Lancashire. We started off by boarding a steam train from Bury to Rossendale. On arrival at Rossendale we walked over to the famous Temperence Bar and indulged in a glass of sarsaparilla. We then boarded a coach to take us to one of the museums and then on to the Ski Centre to watch the sking and just as we got there pupils from Walkden High School were just leaving they all said they had a great time. We then finished the day off by visiting The Textile Museum at Haslingdon. Many thanks to the Mayor and Mayoress of Rossendale for inviting us we had a most enjoyable day.
Friday 23 September
Today we visited the Lowry Outlet Mall at Salford Quays to the opening of Sovereign Food and Wine Store. Myself and The Lord Mayor of Manchester cut the ribbon to officially open the store. We then spoke to the manager and staff and were shown round the shop.
Later we went to Ordsall Vets Bowling Club for a Bowling and Social afternoon at Ordsall Park Bowling Green. The Mayoress and I have never played Bowls in our lives before - so of course I was asked to have a game with the chairman, which I managed to win 21-9. Something funny here with me winning!! We had a really good time the Mayoress would also like to pass on her thanks to the ladies that she played with. Many thanks to John and Alan for there hospitality.
Later that evening we attended the Mayors Charity Golf Evening at Boysnope Park Golf Club. Many thanks to the golfers who took part throughout the day and to Helen for the entertainment, to everyone who turned up on the night and to the staff at the Golf Club for the lovely buffet that they put on. lso many thanks to the Management of the Golf Club for making a donation to the Mayors Charity, we raised about £1200, a big thank you for that. It was a really good day which would not have been possible without Councillor Hudson offering to organise it.
Saturday 24 September
We attended a Musical Band Concert performed by The Greater Manchester Police Band at St. Peters Church, Swinton. A most enjoyable evening as I knew nearly all the tunes that the band played. We spoke to a lot of people while we were there, thank you to every one for making us feel so welcome.
Monday 26 September
Today we went to St George's HAAB Club Annual General Meeting at St George's Centre, Cromwell Road, Salford. We attended this event last year and again the hospitality we received was fantastic. I chaired the AGM and after the business was over we went round to speak to as many people as we could and had a few games of bingo. Everyone was enjoying playing bingo until Councillor Joe Murphy started shouting the numbers and everything started to go wrong. Thank you for a lovely night.
Wednesday 28 September
We attended the Heart of Salford Awards at Buille Hill Banqueting Suite. These are awards for all the volunteers in the city who have been nominated, by friends or establishments, for the voluntary work they are doing. Over 200 people attended the awards ceremony which shows the amount of people that do voluntary work in the city. If it was left to me all of them would receive an award. There were six categories to choose from and there was one winner from each category. Out of the six there was one overall winner and it was Basil Pearson from Irlam, for his 50 years of voluntary work in the community. Well done Basil and congratulations to everyone who took part.
Thursday 29 September
Today we went to watch the Stagecraft Dance and Theatre School Charity Show at the Willows Variety Centre, also in attendance was The Mayor of Tameside. This school is based in Cadishead and a lot of hard work was put in by every one to make the night a success. A very special thank you to Carol Bennett who runs the school. The entertainment that was performed by children from the age of 2 up to adults aged 71. It was a really good night and at the end £6000 was raised for Christies Hospital, Manchester and Tameside Hospital.
Friday 30 September
We attended the Care of the Elderly Association, 50th Jubilee Fair, at the Agnes Hopkins Centre, Clarendon Road, Swinton. The welcome we received here was overwhelming many thanks for that. We were told all about how the centre started off and spoke to a lot of people while we were there. A big thank you for a lovely morning.
Later in the afternoon we met with Jack Gallagher and his parents in the Mayors Parlour. Jack is 10 years of age and when we visited The Cornerstone in Langworthy recently he wrote a poem in which he mentioned The Mayor and showed it to me. I was very impressed and invited him to come and see me in my parlour. We had a chat and something to eat and showed him the Council Chamber and let him sit in the Mayors seat. Good luck for the future Jack you never know you could be Mayor one day.
This page was last updated on 4 October 2009
