Current Mayor's Blog

Saturday, 29 November 2008

Our afternoon began with a visit to Parade Ground Reunion at Stockton Sports Centre. This was a gathering of war-games enthusiasts and relevant traders, organised by Mr David R Clemmet and Thomas Davidson of Thornaby, with all proceeds in aid of regional charities. This had been an annual event for many years, but the impending closure of Stockton Sports Centre had made last year's event seem like the last, so today's was a "Reunion".

We went on to Abbeyfield House in Eaglescliffe. This is very sheltered accommodation for the elderly, now run by Abbeyfield UK. I am particularly pleased to have gone along as Mayor, not only because it is in the ward I represent, but also because I was involved in the committee who began in 1983 working for such a House, which has now been operating some dozen years, for many of which I served on the Executive. It was a pleasure to see yet again the Chairman, the Rev. Peter Sutcliffe, and so many old friends, and to meet the residents who seem so happy there.

As mayor, I am ex officio President of Stockton-on-Tees Annual Music & Drama Festival. This evening we went to the Prizewinners' Concert in Teesside High School, at which I presented a number of trophies. It was amazing to see and hear the standard reached by some very young people. The second half of the evening was competitive, being the Young Speech & Drama Championship, the Young Musician Championship and the Young Singer Championship. Clearly the adjudicators needed great knowledge of music and speech to be able to pick winners!

Friday, 28 November 2008

One of the Mayor's behind-the-scenes jobs is as an ex officio trustee of the Teesside Emergency Relief Fund. I was able to tell this afternoon's trustees' meeting how I had been told by Citizen's Advice Bureau workers how this Fund was valued as a fall-back for needs which could not be met in other ways. For historical reasons, this charity is for the benefit of residents of the former County Borough of Teesside, which in this present Borough means Stockton, Billingham, Thornaby and Norton, but not Eaglescliffe, Yarm, Ingleby Barwick and the country villages.

Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield, was the setting of tonight's 2008 Annual Ball of Daisy Chain, one of my mayoral charities. The room looked splendid and we were impressed by the thought that had gone into the way in which people from the Charity looked after us

Thursday, 27 November 2008

The weather remained dry for our two open-air engagements.

This morning we were in Newham Grange Park (in the ward the Mayoress represents) for the planting of the first tree in the Butterwick Wood. This Park has been improved considerably over recent years through the joint efforts of the Council and a group of keen local residents - the Friends of Newham Grange Park. It had been decided to plant saplings in one area to grow into a wood. Organised jointly by the Council's Countryside & Greenspace Team and the Butterwick Hospice, sponsoring trees in this wood is a way of remembering a loved one or to celebrate a birth, a birthday, a wedding, anniversary or any special occasion http://www.butterwick.org.uk/Fundraising/forthcomingevents/treeplantingnov2708.htm The name "Butterwick Wood" will perpetuate the debt which this community owes to the Hospice and to its founder, Mrs Mary Butterwick OBE, an Honorary Freeman of this Borough. After she and I had planted the first tree (an oak), subscribers who wished to do so set to work busily planting their own trees. We were pleased to see how many people had turned out for the event.

At lunchtime we were taken for a walk round Stockton Sparkles Christmas Festival Market Fair. Running from today until Sunday, this includes craft stalls in specially-erected wooden booths in the Parish Gardens (we admired a mural by the children of Mill Lane Primary School at the High Street entrance), Stockton Market and fairground stalls in the High Street, stalls in the newly refurbished Shambles and on-stage entertainment in Green Dragon Yard. We hope that many people from both outside and inside the Borough will see the Market Fair.

This evening we were invited to Middlesbrough Theatre for the Christmas Concert of The Teesside Apollo Male Voice Choir. We enjoyed a mixed programme of choral and solo works, both secular and sacred, by this amateur choir under the baton of their Musical Director, Mr Alec Jackson. If anyone who knows my singing is worried that I joined in with the Choir, please be assured that the photo was posed before the curtain went up for the second half and I then promptly returned to the auditorium!

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

This morning's monthly Citizenship Ceremony in Stockton Town Hall was, as always, a happy occasion for those becoming British Citizens and their guests. Today's Ceremony was notable for the number of candidates - 19 adults and several minors. It seems that the Home Office is catching up on their backlog of processing the final stages of applications. Today it seemed to me that a larger than the usual proportion of candidates was from the Middle East. One candidate, Ka Wun Williams, had been involved in our becoming a Fairtrade Borough when she worked for this Council.

After I had a briefing meeting with Officers for tonight's full Council meeting, Suzanne and I went to Stockton's Nelson Terrace for the opening of The Cabin. This building has been equipped by Stockton & District Advice & Information Service / Citizen's Advice Bureau as a place where under-25s may drop in for help, advice and support. We looked round the premises, with a stunning mural by two students from Stockton Riverside College. We heard a presentation on the problems which particularly bore on the under-25s and the need for them to be able to obtain good, independent advice. The Cabin was then opened by Elizabeth Shearer, Youth MP.

This evening's Council meeting was the shortest over which I have presided, as any contentious items had already been aired at previous meetings and Members were not in a mood to rake over the same ground. They gave me little cause to intervene, except on technical points of procedure. Perhaps they thought that the Christmas lights outside (please see last Sunday's blog) meant that it was the season of peace and goodwill!

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

A Working Day

No public engagements today, but a meeting in my Parlour with Mr Matthew Giles of Student Community Action in the University of Durham about the sort of voluntary work which his members could undertake here. On Sunday, Suzanne and I had been very pleased to take up a suggestion from the Mayor & Mayoress of Durham that we celebrate jointly the 20th anniversary of this organisation's valuable work among the University.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos for which there was no room on earlier days' postings.

Monday, 24 November 2008

Locomotion at Shildon

The Mayor of Sedgefield Borough (Cllr John Robinson) had kindly arranged for me a conducted tour of Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon. I was shown round by Mr George Muirhead from the Locomotion staff. Apart from the obvious interest to me of the historic rolling stock, I was pleased to hear about the environmental credentials of the modern building and the continuing involvement with the community in Shildon - Locomotion had taken over the work of the Timothy Hackworth Museum.

Shildon was on the original main line of the Stockton & Darlington Railway of 1825, which, of course ran to Stockton-on-Tees, going through the ward I represent. I told George Muirhead about the entry in the Egglescliffe Parish Register of the earliest recorded fatality in the World on a public railway (three years before the more famous accident on the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway). He told me about the silver model of the locomotive Locomotion No.1 which belonged to the Royal Collection. This had been given to the then Duchess of York (who later became Queen and then Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) when she attended the centenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1925. She watched the parade at Urlay Nook, also in the ward I represent. The model is currently in a vault, but in a few months it should be on display at Locomotion, once a cabinet and security have been installed.

I shall be passing on to Members and Officers further thoughts about our Borough's railway heritage, in addition to those which people have already given me on this topic. Do get in touch if you too have any railway stories of a local nature which you don't think have seen the light of day.

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Suzanne and I had been invited by Durham University to a lunch in the Senate Suite of Durham Castle (the home of University College) followed by Evensong in the Cathedral, all to commemorate founders and benefactors of the University and the Cathedral. Unfortunately, we were unable to stay to Evensong, owing to our next engagement.

Durham Castle was one of the homes of the Prince Bishops of Durham until the foundation of the University by the last of them. The rooms of the Norman building in which we were received had lots of 17th Century woodwork, portraits and tapestries. Over an excellent lunch we enjoyed meeting again the Mayor & Mayoress of Durham, the Vice-chancellor and other people we knew from the University.

On returning to Stockton Town Hall, we had a short rest in my Parlour (as we are both still a bit weak from the "bug"), during which our son, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter arrived. We then walked over to Bishop Street to meet the celebrities who would switch on the Christmas lights in the High Street - Emanuel Pogatetz (Captain of Middlesbrough Football Club), Charlie Hardwick (who plays Val Pollard in Emmerdale) and, of course, Santa Claus. At the same time, Elizabeth, the steam 'bus from Whitby was unloaded from a low-loader, slightly delayed by the snow on the coast. We were told that it is the only steam 'bus in operation in the country. We then travelled in it, escorted by police horses with imitation reindeer headgear, to a stage in front of the Town Hall. We were each interviewed briefly by Century Radio presenter Lisa Shaw, before the countdown for pressing the button. The lights, accompanied by fireworks, were beautiful. We then adjourned to the Town hall for a magnificent buffet by Tees Cuisine, in a tastefully decorated Committee Room 1. In all, the occasion went very well and was enjoyed by thousands of people.