Happy New Year!

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In our terms of office so far as Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham we have seen much to be encouraged about in all that is going on throughout the city .
To pick out but three things: the sheer number of volunteers and good people – far, far more than the other sort we read about seemingly every day; very positive work in industry that we value so much and the overwhelmingly positive views that visitors have about our city and its people.
So at the turn of what has been a challenging year, I believe that we can look forward to the future with renewed confidence for all the people of our great city of Birmingham – so let’s ring in the new!
The Lady Mayoress and I would like to take this opportunity of wishing everyone in Birmingham and beyond a peaceful, prosperous and healthy 2010 and a very happy New Year.

Quality and Experience Recognised

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I am very pleased to announce that the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International recently nominated the senior officer in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour, Cathy Dukes, a Paul Harris Fellow.
In Rotary’s words this was: “In appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”
The words are well chosen and speak volumes of the quality of Cathy’s work and the value of the civic function of Councils in contact as we are with all manner of bodies, agencies and individuals of distinction.
The Paul Harris fellowship is the highest award that is made by Rotary and no greater accolade of the value placed by an external body on the work that Cathy has done over the years supported by the staff of the Parlour.
There is no substitute for experience, an attribute that should always be at the top of the list in any organisation of quality. Congratulations Cathy and thank you for your irreplaceable work!

An Alternative Christmas Carol

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Along with some memorable carol concerts and services I have had the opportunity to see something of the season in other circumstances. The first was a visit to Birmingham Prison (formerly Winson Green) on the 23rd of December for a service of carols and readings. Once we had gone through the entrance security we walked over to the original block, built in the 1840s. Snow was falling and it was dark save for the illumination of security lights. Through the snow, the old block looked like something out of Dickens and if we had been wearing top hats and massive scarves it would not have felt out of place. Inside though, it was warm.
About 40 prisoners and a similar number of staff and visitors took part in a service which I found very moving, particularly the homily from the Salvation Army illustrated with the lighter touch of a disappearing necklace! The trick deliberately went wrong several times before it was right - you can see the message. I did what I could to reinforce this and afterwards the prisoners went back to their cells where they were to spend Christmas and we went freely into the night.
On the 27th of December I visited the Birmingham Christmas Shelter. The shelter runs for six days giving food, a bed (mattress and blankets as shown in the first photo) warmth and some entertainment as well as food vouchers to homeless and lonely people. BCS is run entirely by volunteers with no public funding whatsoever. They cater for up to 100 ‘guests’ over Christmas although some of the guests dare not stay overnight lest the place where they normally sleep out (such as under the motorway) be taken by another homeless person.
The food is good with a volunteer chef each day. When I was there a lecturer/chef from University College Birmingham (the former College of Food) had prepared a great steak and kidney pie.
I am doing rather well for cups of tea recently as you can see from the second photo in the recreation area! Many of the volunteers have been coming for several years to help at the Shelter. It firms up further my view that there are far more good people around than the other sort. I thanked them for all that they were doing and returned to home, family and freedom grateful that I had all of these good things.

Merry Christmas!

The Markets' Christmas Spirit

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The traders in Birmingham’s 850 year old traditional markets have been showing real Christmas Spirit. Yesterday I was pleased to receive on behalf of St Basil’s a superb donation of six turkeys of 30lb plus each and all the vegetables to go with them to provide Christmas dinners for over 200 people looked after by St Basil’s who would otherwise be homeless.
Trading conditions have not been great recently but the traders in our Bull Ring markets are the salt of the earth. Later that day we attended a function organised by a trader who raised over £1,000 for the families of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.
That same day the Lady Mayoress and I judged the contests for the most festively decorated market stalls. There were prizes for each of the three markets (indoor, rag and open).
There were some really good stalls and the choices were difficult but the job had to be done and I was well supplied with tea from the cafe as we went along!
The markets will still be open tomorrow on Christmas Eve with the usual range of great fruit and veg and plenty of possibilities for last minute gifts at great prices - and always a good chance of meeting the Lord Mayor!

Carols, Choirs and Christmas

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We are getting to know our carols very well! We’ve now reached double figures in terms of carol services and concerts with a few more to go. And what a joy they have been and what variety! In the last posting I mentioned the Lucia service at Birmingham Cathedral now one of the highlights of the seasonal calendar with its roots in ancient history but with a timeless message of light and featuring Birmingham’s Ex Cathedra Choir.
Last night we had the pleasure of attending the Ex Cathedra concert at St Paul’s Church. Forgive the use of an overworked word, but what a stunning performance this was, mixing the familiar with the much less known, including the medieval and the modern - good modern - and with distinctive arrangements for favourite words.
How lucky we are to have such an outstanding choir in the city, now celebrating forty years of the highest quality music. ‘Congratulate’ is not a sufficient word for such a deeply impressive performance by the choir under their artistic director and conductor Jeffrey Skidmore, but hopefully it conveys some sense of our appreciation.
There are a couple more concerts to go in this season of good will - including one at Birmingham Prison tomorrow to which I’m looking forward very much. More anon.

Variety is the Spice of Life

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The absence of a posting for quite some time reflects the hectic nature of the Lord Mayor’s schedule on the approach to Christmas. It’s a seven day a week job and 12-14 hour days are not uncommon - and this does not include preparation for upcoming events early in the morning or late at night!
We’ve recently been getting to learn our carols very well, having been to several concerts and services. A particularly interesting one was the Lucia service at St Philip’s Cathedral celebrated with Birmingham’s Swedish community. Not often you get to hear a biblical reading in a Nordic tongue!
Amongst many important and interesting functions just one or two other items that were just that bit different.
We visited Firmin’s - Birmingham’s oldest company - who make all manner of insignia. Of course, they have much modern equipment and some that is just that bit older.

One piece is shown in our first photograph. It’s the wooden (elm) base of an anvil that is still used today and was first used in Firmin’s London office. If you look closely you can make out scorch marks. These were from the great fire of London in 1666!
We unveiled a blue plaque erected by the Civic Society to Birmingham’s 19th Century Philosopher, Poet and Scientist Constance Naden at the house in Edgbaston where she spent most of her short (31 years) but immensely productive life. Just down the road was another blue plaque commemorating Birmingham artist Joseph Southall and just up the road was a third commemorating the origins of the game of Lawn Tennis!
As anyone who knows me will confirm, when it comes to food I’m not much of a gourmet. But simple food I do like. We completed an early morning visit to Birmingham’s wholesale markets by calling in at the legendary market ‘caff’, Happy Dan’s on the recommendation of entrepreneur and impressario Martin Hone.

We can vouch for the superb bacon and sausage sandwiches and we intend to make a return visit to tackle one of Happy Dan’s legendary ‘Full Englishes’. Happy eating!

The Staffordshire Hoard

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Also known as the Anglo-Saxon Hoard or the Mercian Hoard - the best name in my view - was recently valued at some £3.285m.
Conservators tell me that there are some 1,800 pieces rather than the 1,600 previously mentioned. The extra pieces were in clods of earth not previously opened.
The even better news is that there almost certainly is an Anglo-Saxon helmet that it is hoped to re-assemble from the pieces. As well as the already identified cheek plate, this can be deduced from the patterns on the pieces (making up a line of marching men amongst other designs). When reconstructed, the helmet should be in better condition than the famous Sutton Hoo helmet (which had been degraded by being deposited alongside iron).
Now the money must be raised to keep the find in Mercia. By the letter of the regulations there could be only four months in which to do this but it is likely that some latitude will be given. A similar sum will be needed to provide for further conservation work, analysis and proper display, so fund raising will go on for some time.
Birmingham will take the fund raising lead in partnership with Stoke. While nothing is determined as yet, one school of thought is that five museums will be involved in the display which will also include museums in Lichfield, Tamworth and Stafford. The five display elements could be themed - for example with Birmingham concentrating on the European dimension of Anglo-Saxon culture, Stoke concentrating on a Mercian focus, Stafford on the excavation, Tamworth on the royal aspect and Lichfield on the religious dimension. This seems very reasonable.
The Hoard itself could be back in the Midlands quite early in the New Year and elements will be on display at locations including Birmingham as focal points for fundraising. There is likely to be a fundraising launch in the near future although the main big push is likely to be early in the New Year.
It is likely that Birmingham’s close connection with JRR Tolkien will be most advantageous. Tolkien described himself as a Birmingham man and was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford for many years. In The Lord of the Rings, the land of Rohan is an Anglo-Saxon culture with horses (Rohan itself may be based on the plain between the Malvern Hills and Bredon Hill). The Hoard is just what the Riders of Rohan would have been kitted out with. References in Beowulf to buried treasure are also significant.
As Lord Mayor of Birmingham I hope to be fully involved in the fund raising endeavours and hopefully the enormous two handed sword kept in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour will come in handy in this connection - for promotional rather than warlike purposes I hasten to add! Watch this space!

Panto Horse Grand National!

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The fiercely contested Pantomime Horse Grand National, one of Birmingham’s most entertaining free events, took place on Sunday.

There were separate races for fillies (ladies) and colts (men), each racing along a gruelling twelve jump course on Broad Street. Thousands of excited spectators lined the route to cheer the competitors along.

The winner of the hotly contested colts race was James Bamber, a very fit 36 year-old from Devon, on his horse ‘Hoof Hearted’.

The fillies’ race was won by several lengths by 28 year-old Nicki Mills from Wolverhampton on her horse ‘Spank The Donkey’.

Our first picture shows Nicki with myself and the Lady Mayoress.

Our second picture shows two of the competitors in the colts race and the third shows the competitors in the fillies' race lining up - much m

ore orderly than the argy bargy at the start of the colts race!

The event raises money for the Lord Mayor’s charities and we estimate that the total raised this year is a heart-warming £3,000.

I would like to thank all those who took part in the race and the council officers, Thomas Vale employees and volunteers who made it a reality.

I would also like to thank our generous sponsors. Tony Hyde, the Managing Director of Thomas Vale, commented: “As a Birmingham based construction business, we are delighted to be working with the council for the fourth year to put on this great event. It brings people together and helps to support good causes.”

This event is one of many organised by the City Council over the Christmas season, including the Frankfurt Christmas Market and Aston Hall by Candlelight.

For more information visit: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/christmas

My Charities for the Year

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These are my charities for my mayoral year year 2009/2010. If you would like to support them you can do this in various ways: By cheque made out to ‘The Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal’ and sent to The Lord Mayor’s Parlour, The Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B1 1BB or online at
http://www.justgiving.com/lordmayorbirmingham
Further information can be obtained from the Lord Mayor’s Parlour on 0121-303-2040 or by email to lordmayor@birmingham.gov.uk
The Birmingham Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research: The objective is to establish a new charity that outlasts the current Mayoralty - and indeed runs until that dread affliction is mastered. While there’s been steady progress with several forms of cancer, for pancreatic cancer the five-year survival rate following diagnosis forty years ago stood at just 3%. Today that rate is - well, just 3%. Yet the disease is treatable on those occasions where the cancer is detected early enough, and the primary focus of the fund will be on research, conducted in Birmingham, into improved diagnostic methods.
The Lord Mayor’s Engineering Scholarships: A fund to support the study and practice of Engineering in Birmingham - at various levels and in a range of forms. As a Council we recognise the unmatched contribution that engineering has made to the City, and I am sure we would all agree that it is vital that Birmingham remains prominent in this important field in the future. So, alongside other initiatives, we will encourage and enable young people from Birmingham to take up engineering both as a course of study and as a fulfilling future career. Encouragement will also be offered to progress developments in vital newer areas such as Clinical Engineering.
St. Basil’s: The inestimable work of this charity with young people providing them with support services, advice, mediation and guidance and tackling and preventing homelessness and its consequences has helped to transform very many young lives here in Birmingham. However, in today’s society there is no let-up in the need for the very wide range of services so ably provided by St. Basil’s, and we will be making a big effort during the year to support this most worthy cause.
WAITS - Women Acting In Today’s Society - is a very important charity in a diverse city such as Birmingham, and WAITS is doing outstanding work enabling women to address issues and overcome barriers, combating isolation and providing help to increase the involvement of women in the public life and business of communities throughout the city - from which all of us will benefit. Here again, we know that there is a continuing need for the extensive range of activities carried out by WAITS, and that there are many who are yet to benefit, and a great deal more work still to be done.

Pantomime Horse Grand National!

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Riders are invited to take up the reins and participate in Birmingham’s seventh Pantomime Horse Grand National, to help raise money for the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal. Organised by Birmingham City Council, the event is sponsored by Thomas Vale.
The cavalry will charge along a challenging 12 jump course. All colts and fillies will be provided with a single person costume for their respective races.
This is a serious business. Just look at the determined expressions on those horses’ faces!
An entry fee of £50.00 is payable, with all money donated to the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal. The winner of each race will receive a bottle of Champagne.
All entries and cheques should be received by Monday the 9th of November and sent to: Lisa Kennedy, Pantomime Horse Race, Events Section, Birmingham City Council, House of Sport, 300 Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2DE. For further information please call 0121 303 3008.
Good Luck and see you there!

The Alternative Tour

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There is a ‘regulation’ tour of Birmingham’s Magnificent Council House on which visitors are taken. This includes the Lord Mayor’s Parlour, the Council Chamber and the Banqueting Suite. Our Victorian forebears certainly new how to build aesthetically pleasing buildings that would last more than the thirty years of modern sheds and carbuncles and do so with remarkable speed and economy - the Council House cost well under £200k at the time.
But as Lord Mayor I was able to undertake an alternative tour of unusual areas and forgotten corners. Guided by the Curator, we started at the bottom with the former City mortuary. Some parts of this now form offices for Scrutiny and the Resilience Team (averting or dealing with civil emergencies). A former use is suggested by the white tiles, but there are also near derelict areas where bodies were laid out.
Next to the intriguingly named upper and lower Muniments Rooms where old records gather dust and where a key on a dusty shelf reminded us of a former time when security guards patrolled and used the key to indicate that they’d reached this point.
Thence to the roof and the base of the flagpole. This is much larger than it appears from Victoria Square. The flag normally flown represents the city’s coat of arms. Incidentally, ‘half mast’ means two thirds of the way to the top of the pole.
Then to the large space above the council chamber beneath the roof. At this point we clarified a legend that there used to be a workman whose job was to keep the roof in good order and clear it of dead birds etc. and that he had a shed on the top of the municipal world. There is indeed such a shed, but it is inside, beneath the rafters in the roof above the council chamber.
Finally to the clock tower. This is accessed by a side door near the entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery. One ascends in a series of stages beginning with a spiral staircase taking you past the old mechanical winding area (the mechanism of which would still work if needed but would take about five hours to wind the clock).
Thence up another flight to the level where the beautiful Victorian engineered mechanism resides. Up again to the bell tower - a very interesting experience as we were there when the chimes operated! Then on to the very top.
From Chamberlain Square you can just see what looks like a small box at the top of the clock tower. The view from the lookout point gave an impressive and rarely seen impression of our magnificent city centre.
This was one of the former lookout points used during the bombing raids that Birmingham suffered during the War. These were the most intense outside London save for Merseyside and over 2,200 people lost their lives and who are commemorated by the Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association whose sterling work includes the memorial just opposite the Bull Ring open markets.

Mercian Gold

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The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery recently held an exhibition of the horde of Anglo-Saxon gold items recently unearthed. Over eighty pieces probably dating from around the mid to late 7th century or early eighth century were on display and vast and patient crowds of people from near and far queued to see them, entertained by medieval musicians, stilt walkers, readings from the heroic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf and chats with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham!
There are about 1600 pieces in the discovery. Some conservators believe that it is possible that some of the pieces could be part of a larger item that has been broken up, conceivably a helmet. Time will tell as there is an immense amount of work to be done, including the jig-saw bit! This work will be carried out at the British Museum (who declined requests to extend the period of display in Birmingham) over the next year or two.
At some point there will be a display in London however while the work goes on. This work will include valuation, an almost impossible task, as a figure is required in law. In English law the discoverer and the landowner will share the value of the trove equally and funds will need to be raised by public appeal to retain the items here.
It is vital that the gold comes back permanently to the heart of Mercia where it surely belongs, probably as a collaboration between Birmingham and other museums.
Before the unification of England, Mercia was a powerful Anglo-Saxon Kingdom that included most of central England (including, at its maximum extent, London!). Mercia’s most famous King, Offa, constructed the famous Dyke in the west and was a contemporary of Charlemagne, exchanging greetings as equals.
During the exhibit the flag of Mercia was flown outside the Council House (although there was little wind!). The flag is thought by historians to be a gold diagonal cross on a blue background. As the exquisite quality of the craftsmanship of the artefacts reveals the term ‘dark Ages’ merely reflects our own ignorance of this heroic period. Perhaps, given the poor quality and excessive volume of media output these days, our time will come to be known as the Age of White Noise!

Michaelmas Fayre 3

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Yesterday saw the last day of the Lord Mayor’s Michaelmas Fayre in Birmingham’s historic markets. I had earlier presented a plaque to the markets' manager Matt Kelly to commemorate the occasion and thank the markets for their service to the people of Birmingham. In the fayre we saw medieval soldiers and households, birds of prey, wandering minstrels, jesters, a wishing well, stocks and walkabouts by the Lord Mayor in full robes and the Lady Mayoress in medieval costume, several groups of Morris Dancers, a 'teacup' ride for kiddies and much else besides. Dozens of traders in the markets were in medieval costume and patriotic flags abounded. Friday had been highlighted by an inspiring talk in St. Martins by Birmingham Historian extraordinary and plenipotentiary, Professor Carl Chinn, on the subject of “A thousand years of the markets.”
One of the most popular items of the Fayre was the re-introduction of the practice of the Lord Mayor giving out Michaelmas coins to old and young people. These we had made by a firm in the Jewellery Quarter (A.J. Gilbert on 0121-236-7774). They are attractive pennies from our historic currency before decimalisation, gilded and with Britannia picked out in silver. The coins were sought after like gold dust!
The Market traders put in a tremendous effort to help make the Michaelmas Fayre a success, as did the staff of the markets. Our sincere thanks too, to the many volunteers from Newman College, both students and staff, who gave generously of their time and helped to collect for the Lord Mayor’s charities.
A great time was had by all, including many visitors to the city. Good causes benefited and the popularity of Birmingham’s Bull Ring Markets as the best source of good value fresh produce anywhere in the country was proven once again.

Tuesday's Michaelmas Fayre

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The Lord Mayor’s Michaelmas Fayre at the Bull Ring Markets began on Tuesday with a fine procession to St Martins.
A re-enactment of the presentation of the charter for the markets in 1166 took place, the Lord mayor served fruit and vegetables from a market stall, distributed coins specially made in Birmingham for the occasion and presented a plaque to the markets in recognition of their services to the people of Birmingham.
Friday and Saturday see many more events between 11 and 4 including Birds of Prey, a Jester Musician, a walkabout by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress in costume, some medieval stocks, a wishing well and a talk by Carl Chinn on a thousand years of the markets in St Martins at 2-30. So do come along and stock up with great produce while you’re at it!

Michaelmas Fayre - Day 1

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The first day of the Lord Mayor’s Michaelmas Fayre takes place in and around the Bull Ring Markets and St Martin’s Church tomorrow, 29th September on the feast of St Michael and All Angels.
We are reviving this traditional fair and start with a procession from Manor House involving the Lord Mayor (in full robes), the Lady Mayoress (in medieval costume) and Bishop David to St Martin’s at 11-45.
There will be a short service, in an old-fashioned form. On leaving the church there will be a 20 minute peal of Bells (St Martins has some of the best in the country) and the procession will move to the stage where there will be a re-enactment of the presentation of the charter for the markets, followed by an extensive walkabout with the Town Crier.
There will be other traditional happenings too, up till around 3pm. The next events are on Friday and include a talk ‘1,000 years of the markets) by Prof. Carl Chinn at 2-30 in St Martins. There will be a stilt walker in Knight’s costume and other entertainments about which more in the next posting, all leading up to the grand events of Saturday. Do come along!

Dave Gauder Bus Pull

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This week I had the job of starting a bus - or rather getting a mighty man to start pulling the Bus near Birmingham's famous Bull Ring Markets. The occasion was the record 1,000th bus pull performed by Birmingham strongman Dave Gauder in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Dave, a former World’s Strongest Man, and currently the holder of over twenty world strength records, also does mighty deeds for charity - as well as a tremendous amount of work with schools, particularly in preventing bullying. So it was a privilege to be asked to signal the start of the pull.
All went well, for the record 1,000th time and the Lady Mayoress had a bus ride too as Dave had invited several passengers to go along inside the bus just to add some more to the weight! Dave is a terrific chap and a great Brummie. So (even) more power to your elbow mate!

Flying High!

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You may have read about the grand opening of the new £50m pier at Birmingham International Airport. The celebrations were complemented by the arrival of an Airbus A380 - and by a much smaller, older and lower tech aircraft - namely a De Havilland Rapide.
Having always wanted to go up in a passenger biplane, I was delighted to have the chance of a flight around Birmingham. It was the first time on a plane when I’ve had a window seat and an aisle seat at the same time! While I didn’t spot Hercules Poirot amongst the other seven passengers, there was definitely the feel of that period about the flight!
There was a superb ‘thrum’ to the six cylinder engines, the fuel levels for which were checked with a dipstick! We had superb views of the city - what a great place Birmingham looks - and a good chance to identify even small buildings at a cruising speed of just 100 knots. By the way that’s an effect of the propellers on the camera in the second photo rather than a mysterious black wing over the city!
My trip into history was over all too soon but as to the future, while we’ll have to wait for the runway extension for regular services with the superb A380, you can be assured of even more efficient service at the airport with the new pier and a great range of passenger facilities.

Michaelmas Fayre in Birmingham

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To Celebrate over eight centuries of the markets around St. Martins Church in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham and the market traders are arranging a Medieval style Michaelmas Fayre that will take place at the end of September.
We are inviting visitors and families to join us in Birmingham for a traditional day out enjoying the fun, old fashioned entertainment, history talks and of course the outstandingly good value of Birmingham’s historic outdoor and indoor markets.
There will be a medieval theme at St Martins, the Town Crier and we are also including echoes of Birmingham’s historic Onion Fair - and what's more, you could even get your onions, fruit and veg. served by the Lord Mayor!
So do come along to the Lord Mayor's Michaelmas Fayre on Tuesday, 29th September, Friday 2nd October and Saturday 3rd October from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm at the Markets, Bull Ring, Birmingham, B5 4RB.

One Kick for Birmingham

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I recently had a chance to put into practice my skills at football, such as they are, by taking part in ‘One kick for Birmingham’.

This is a campaign to ensure that Birmingham is an attractive part of England’s bid for the World Cup in 2018.
It would be terrific to have the World cup in England again - and we’ve got so much to contribute in this city. Birmingham has great venues, great fans and there’s a great City to enjoy.
The one kick campaign will involve getting people to film themselves kicking a ball and then putting the video up on the internet.
Luckily, my own one kick for Birmingham seemed to be pretty fair - but I don’t think that it would have taken Gil Merrick in his prime to save it!
So have a go yourself and let’s hope that both national and local campaigns get the success that they so rightly deserve.

Combating Pancreatic Cancer

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The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is involved in a good deal of charity work in general and also selects particular charities for the year. There are four parts to the Lord Mayor’s own charities for 2009/10 and in the next couple of weeks I will be featuring all four of them in this blog.
The first is The Birmingham Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The objective here is to establish a new registered charity that will run on beyond my Mayoralty - and indeed continues until the dread affliction of cancer of the pancreas is mastered.
While there has been steady progress with several forms of cancer, for pancreatic cancer the five-year survival rate in the UK following diagnosis forty years ago stood at just 3%. Today that rate is - well, just 3% and for many sufferers the survival time from diagnosis is very short and complete remission is extremely rare.

Pancreatic cancer causes no symptoms early on and the median survival rate from diagnosis is 3 - 6 months. Affecting men more than women, pancreatic cancer has one of the highest fatality rates of all cancers.
Yet the disease can be treatable on those occasions where the cancer is detected early enough, and the primary focus of the fund will be on research, conducted in Birmingham, into improved diagnostic methods.
You can now contribute to the Lord Mayor’s charities on-line through Justgiving.com at:

http://www.justgiving.com/lordmayorbirmingham

Donations of any size, large or small are most welcome and will be put to the best possible use.

The First Quarter

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Vivienne and I are both enjoying our busy year as Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham. We’ve now completed three months as first citizens of our great city. The ‘Mayor Making’ in May was a great occasion and Birmingham’s Poet Laureate, Chris Morgan, read a poem at the ceremony.
We soon discovered that first citizens have a big job! The city covers over 150 square miles and is home to over a million people so there’s a lot to be involved with. The city has grown over the centuries from being the ‘home of the people of Beorma’, which is what ‘Birmingham’ means, and is much changed since the Industrial Revolution when Birmingham became the ‘Workshop of the World’. We’ve seen major regeneration including the National Exhibition Centre, the International Convention Centre and the new Bull Ring - complementing the markets that have been there for over 800 years.
Birmingham is the largest unitary authority in Europe (London is divided into Boroughs) moving forward with all our industry, commerce and creative talents. We’re proud of Birmingham’s role in the Arts including the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and in education through our Schools, Colleges and Universities delivering world class courses and advanced research. And as Lord Mayor I have the privilege of being Chancellor of Birmingham City University.
So far we’ve undertaken over 200 engagements! These have ranged from major events such as Freedom of the City Parades and Rotary’s International Convention to community events with schools and voluntary organisations. And we’re introducing new ones such as a medieval style Michaelmas Fayre to celebrate our historic Markets and in February a charity fundraising ‘Gilbert and Sullithon’ at the Town Hall where all of Gilbert and Sullivan’s complete works will be performed end to end in a 22 hour marathon!
Birmingham people are great volunteers and we’ve been inspired by the commitment of those we’ve met - including many youngsters. If you go by the newspapers you’d think there wasn’t much other than bad behaviour, but there are far more good people generously giving their time, but this does not make the headlines.
The Lord Mayor is involved in a lot of charity work and there are four parts to the Lord Mayor’s charities this year – The Birmingham Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The Lord Mayor’s Engineering Scholarships, St. Basil’s and WAITS (Women Acting in Today’s Society). Incidentally you can now contribute to the Lord Mayor’s Charities on-line through justgiving.com at:
http://www.justgiving.com/lordmayorbirmingham
as well as through the Lord Mayor’s Parlour at the Council House.
Whenever we can, we sing the praises of Birmingham and its narratives. This city has many big stories, but the biggest story of all is the total of a million smaller stories - the stories of individual people. Our city is much more than the sum of its parts. We are like a broad oak, whose roots reach deep into our history and the branches of which spread widely across cultures. Birmingham is forward looking and dynamic, and I firmly believe that there’s no finer place in which to live - or of which to be first citizen!

Charity MegaQuiz

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The Lord Mayor's MegaQuiz on October 7th promises to be a mind-expanding fun occasion and I look forward to welcoming Quizzers to Birmingham University's Great Hall - one of the city’s premier venues. All proceeds from the evening go to The Lord Mayor’s charities.
The Mega Quiz has become a cult event in the city - and at just £25 for a team of four, it's a bargain to boot!

As befits this status, there’s a tradition of having distinguished question masters, and I’m pleased to announce that for 2009 Nick Owen has agreed to act as our Mega Quizmaster - for the third time!
My thanks to the MegaQuiz organising committee, the Radisson Hotel for their hospitality in hosting the recent launch and for joining our sponsors including Heathcote & Coleman, Birmingham Rotary, The University of Birmingham and the organisations who have donated the glittering raffle prizes that will help make the event an even more splendid and memorable evening.

This is all a remarkable tribute to the philanthropic spirit in Birmingham. See you in October!

Hockey Internationals

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I had the pleasure of meeting the teams for the recent India versus England Hockey internationals in Birmingham and attended the first game that was played in pouring rain throughout!

Both teams played very well and in a great sporting spirit which was a tribute to the sport and the players.

The organisation at The University of Birmingham was excellent too, and I understand that the teams would like to return there in the future.

By the way, England won the first game 3-1 and the closely contested three game series 2-1.

HMS Daring

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Last week we had the opportunity to visit HMS Daring on the occasion of the commissioning of this highly advanced ant-air warfare destroyer. The type 45 is a world leader and the City of Birmingham is proud to have a close association with HMS Daring as one of our links with the Royal Navy.
As well as the ceremony itself and a guided tour of the ship, we had the pleasure of meeting crew members from Birmingham and getting to know more of their role and the wide range of capabilities of the Destroyer itself.
Daring is a futuristic-looking surface warship designed to meet defence needs for the next 30 years. This is not so much a case of the projection of force, but rather of being a force for good in UK defence that also includes a capability for non-combatant evacuation operations.

I’m very proud of the City’s association with HMS Daring and am looking forward to the freedom parade in September.

Freedom Parade

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As Lord Mayor of Birmingham it was a great pleasure to confer the Freedom of the City on the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery (the Midlands Gunners) recently. This is what I said in my speech at the reception:
"It has been both an enjoyable occasion and an honour to be with the Regiment again today following meetings with officers and our memorable visit to the Regiment last month in Gutersloh. And most importantly, to officially confer the freedom award.
It was also a privilege to take part in the award ceremony and a pleasure to see the warm and positive response of the people of Birmingham - a support that is freely given and which today was evident in abundance.
I would also compliment the thoughtful preparation and professional attention to detail with which the Regiment and its batteries conducted your role in today’s proceedings.
And I think all will agree that it was a particular joy to see the Regiment then exercising the 'Freedom of the City of Birmingham'.
You carried out the noble tradition of 'marching through the streets with drums beating, bands playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed’ with characteristic panache and an exuberance reflected in the stirring marching and music so ably provided by the Parachute Regiment.
This lifts the spirits of everyone and creates an exhilarating atmosphere in which we can all share and which suffuses the day.
It was a performance conducted with justifiable pride. Just as indeed the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery can be rightfully proud of so many achievements in the fight for freedom, justice and the defence of liberty.
I can think of no more honourable calling than that of ensuring the security and well-being of this country and in defending the fundamental freedoms of others less fortunate than ourselves.
We express our gratitude for the Regiment’s service to the country and we are extremely proud of our strong and deepening association with you.
It would not surprise me to hear you say that active service in theatres of danger is a soldiers job, but what strikes me very strongly whenever I meet the troops is the sheer positive vitality of our service men and women not simply for their readiness to undertake further tours of duty, but their enthusiasm to take these on and to carry out the tasks for which they have been trained - and in so doing fulfilling the ideals of service that prompted them to join the forces in the first place.
Hence the deep respect you have gained for the individual courage and commitment and for the collective teamwork and professionalism both in active service and in support.
All of the service so freely given represents the extraordinary efforts made, as the services as a whole so modestly put it, by ‘ordinary people’ - but in my view by people who, as Lincoln put it, ‘reflect the better angels of our nature’.
And in all of this we in Birmingham are intensely proud of our connection with the Regiment and the close and personal links that have been formed between the regiment, the city and the wider region.
These links are very important to us and we thank the Regiment for your bravery, skill and dedication. This has been a wonderful day for everyone and we look forward to ever-closer links with the Regiment.
In the broadest sense of the word we salute you, and the City of Birmingham wishes the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery continuing success and every good fortune in the years to come."

Aston Hall Re-opening

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On July 16th I had the great privilege of re-opening Aston Hall and Park after a major refurbishment. A tremendous job has been done in a scheme of over 12 million pounds. If you’ve not yet visited this magnificent Jacobean mansion you have a treat in store.

This is what I said at the re-opening.
"Aston Hall and its park is not only important for Birmingham and the Midlands but is a site of national significance. It is a truly remarkable survival located here in the heart of inner-city Birmingham.
Today, Aston Park extends to around fifty acres – just a little less than its original three hundred and fifty acres! But the fact that any of it survives at all is a remarkable testament to the determination and foresight of the people of Birmingham.
Following the death of James Watt Junior in 1848, Aston Hall's future looked very bleak indeed as it occupied prime building land on the edge of what was then the rapidly expanding town of Birmingham.
However, thanks first to the efforts of a group of passionate individuals, sufficient funds were raised to take over the site through a private company known as the Aston Hall and Park Company.
This very public spirited enterprise opened the Hall to the general public in 1858.
Although the company alone didn’t manage to raise all of the funds necessary to buy the Hall, support came from the highest quarter of the land.
It was thanks to the intervention of Queen Victoria herself that the Corporation of Birmingham was persuaded to step in and to complete the purchase on behalf of the people of the town.
So it was that in 1864, Aston Hall became the first historic house in the country to be purchased by a local authority and to be opened to the public as a heritage attraction. This pre-dated the foundation of the National Trust by some 30 years.
Although over a hundred years has passed since the Park and Hall were first opened to the public, the refurbishment project that we are here to celebrate this evening is very much in the spirit of these foresightful Victorian conservationists.
I am sure that you will agree with me that the superb transformation of Aston Hall and Park is fully in the spirit of our Victorian forebears and a fitting tribute to their memory.
I’m sure also that it is also an acknowledgement of the great affection with which the Hall and Park are regarded by all the people of the City of Birmingham. We owe our team from the Museum, their partners, funding agencies and all involved a debt of thanks.
And I am absolutely certain that thanks to this magnificent restoration, visitors will greatly enjoy Aston Hall and park for many years to come.

Armed Forces Day and Alrewas

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In the past week I have had the privilege of taking part in a number of events connected with Armed Forces Day and visiting the Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas which is devoted to the concept of remembrance.

We attended a moving ceremony and the memorial itself creates a great impact on you both emotionally and visually.
At the service in St Martin’s Church the day before I’d given this contribution:
Last Monday I raised the Armed Forces flag in Birmingham outside the Council House in Victoria Square as part of a nation-wide event and as a herald of Armed Forces Day itself which is an excellent opportunity for the whole nation to show its appreciation for those who defend our liberties.
We gather together today to express the gratitude of the City of Birmingham, the wider region and the people of the Midlands towards those men and women who serve in the forces, those who have served and those who seek to serve their country in this honourable, professional and courageous way.
In the inaugural year of this day of celebrations there are displays, activities and exhibits in Centenary Square. And in this and through this service in St Martin’s, we salute all those who are here present and those whom they represent.
Birmingham was proud in 2007 to host the national event for National Veterans Day, which was the forerunner to Armed Forces Day and to which there was a tremendous public response.
National Veterans Day had as its focus our veterans and the truly outstanding contributions that they have made to the protection and well being of this country over very many years.
This year that splendid occasion has been expanded into Armed Forces Day itself, a name that has been chosen to embrace the wider Armed Forces, including serving personnel, both regular and reserve, as well as the Veterans themselves and also of course the Cadet Forces.
And I know that the core values of the armed forces bring out the very best in our young people.
This all serves further to raise the public consciousness of the vital role that is played by our Armed Forces both in ensuring the security and well-being of this country and in defending the fundamental freedoms of others that we can all too easily take for granted.
So today is a day for thankfulness and also for celebration, because pride, as a positive virtue, has both serious and joyful dimensions.
We are immensely proud of our Armed Forces and their achievements in service and I have recently had the privilege, accompanied by the Lady Mayoress, of presenting medals to returning soldiers at bases both here in Birmingham and also in Germany.
The medals of course recognise service in theatres of danger but what also struck me on those occasions was the sheer positive vitality of our service men and women who were not just willing but thoroughly enthusiastic about undertaking further tours of duty to carry out the tasks for which they have been trained - and indeed fulfilling the ideals of service that prompted them to join the forces in the first place.
This is a spirited sentiment in which we can share and which will suffuse today’s celebrations. This exuberance is reflected in the stirring music that we have already been hearing and the further selection that we shall hear later on.
The music includes ‘The Dam Busters March’, ‘A Life on the Ocean Wave’ ‘Colonel Bogey’ and a rendition of one of my favourite pieces from childhood - and which I readily own is still so today - The Teddy Bears’ Picnic! Hopefully the bears will not need to dash for shelter in Centenary Square!
I know that there is an immense depth of public support for the British Armed Forces - that fact should never be doubted for a single moment. There is respect for the individual courage and commitment and for the collective teamwork and professionalism both in active service and in support.
All of the service that is given represents the extraordinary efforts made, as the services themselves so modestly put it, by ‘ordinary people’ - in other words people just like ourselves.
And as they perform this outstanding work we also stand out squarely in support of them, a support that is freely given and which I am sure will be evident in abundance on this the inaugural Armed Forces Day.

Townswomen's Guild

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Last week I had the pleasure of addressing the national AGM of the Townswomen’s Guild. There were about 2,000 delegates in the splendid surroundings of Birmingham’s ICC. This is what I said.
It gives me very great pleasure to welcome all members of the Townswomen’s Guild to Birmingham for your Annual General Meeting today. Thank you for inviting us to share part of this with you. We have an attractive and friendly city and I hope that you will get a chance to see a little of it and come back soon and see more.
It was good to see the National and Federation banners and their historic and significant colours just a few minutes ago. These are important reminders of heritage, purpose and unity.
And you have important purposes today and much business to transact. But equally important are the inspirational speakers and also the inspiration that comes from talking to fellow members and the opportunity to make new friends.
Your guest speaker today, especially in his former manifestation as the anchor on John Craven’s Newsround, has been a familiar figure in our household for many years since the programme was also very much enjoyed by our children. Thank you John for that excellent family viewing!
This was a few years ago now of course and it is a few more years ago than that since I first addressed a local meeting of The Townswomen’s Guild way back when in my own ward of Hall Green. It was a talk on mistakes made by the press, and I think several volumes more could have been written about the ‘fourth estate’ since then – not to mention a few minor and of course entirely innocent financial mistakes and oversights in the second and third estates!
I read with great interest of the origins of the Townswomen’s Guild arising from the sustained endeavours of the suffragists, and I have always shared the view of how much can be achieved through working within the law to secure important social objectives such as real equality of citizenship.
And I know that there is much work still to be done today – so it is as well that you are here. This ranges from the isolation and lack of empowerment of women in some parts of some communities to the still pervasive, if unstated and subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – easing aside of women when it comes to important roles and occasions.
And I’ve also learnt of the guild’s environmental work that is so important with today’s challenges and your work on a broad range of issues further afield as well as your contribution to literacy projects and issues involving women at home and abroad. It is not just women’s lives that are affected, important though that is, society as a whole is diminished if all women do not have a chance to play a full part.
This is one reason why one of the Lord Mayor’s charities for 2009/10 is WAITS - Women Acting In Today’s Society. I believe that this is particularly important charity in a diverse city such as Birmingham and both the Lady Mayoress and I are working to raise as much money as we can.
WAITS is doing outstanding work enabling women to address issues and overcome barriers, combating isolation and providing help to increase the involvement of women in the public life and business of communities throughout the city - from which the whole of society will benefit.
We know that there is a continuing need for the extensive range of activities carried out by WAITS, and that there are many women who are yet to benefit, and that there’s a great deal more work still to be done and in which so many of us can play a role.
President John F Kennedy once said that every individual can make a difference and should try. At a recent conference in Birmingham Dr Jane Goodall said that every individual can make a difference every day by recognising personal responsibility and the ability to affect beneficial change through our conduct as consumers, through lifestyle change, through being active and engaged.
And, I think that the Guild would add, through the extension of friendship. And it doesn’t matter if that difference seems to be just a drop in an ocean of need - remember, no drops no ocean!
This is all very serious business but it is all the better done in an energising environment of mutual support, idea-sharing and of course stimulating friendship. All of which is why the Townswomen’s Guild succeeds so very well in making a critical difference and in being tomorrow’s women today.
I hope that you have a successful and productive AGM and once again, welcome to Birmingham!

Rotary International Convention

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This week the City has hosted the Rotary International Convention. There are about 20,000 delegates and Birmingham is privileged to be the only City outside of the United States to have hosted the International Convention twice. This was my speech at the welcome breakfast.
"Lady Mayoress, Mr President, Directors, Trustees, Rotarians All, Distinguished Visitors. It is a great privilege that you have chosen Birmingham to host the prestigious Rotary International Convention. And we are equally delighted that this is your 100th International Convention - held here in the heart of England and, I cannot resist adding, that since Birmingham was the home of J.R.R. Tolkien in his formative years, right here in Middle-earth!
Your 100th convention in an unbroken sequence with delegates from 154 countries in attendance is a major milestone that you are clearly marking with what promises to be a terrific conference - the second that you have held in Birmingham and the fourth in this country - which makes us doubly proud.
I’ve read your programme book and I’m staggered at the scope and reach of the good works - great humanitarian endeavours in fact - that Rotary undertakes world-wide as well as the wide range of Fellowship activities. The value of volunteering and lasting friendship and its fruitfulness should never be underestimated.
From the longstanding drive to eliminate Polio in which Rotary plays such a prominent role, to the search for a more peaceful world; from the battle against HIV/AIDS and other dread diseases to active and imaginative engagement, including the Shelterbox initiative, in over 80 disasters worldwide and from blindness prevention to the improvement of literacy, truly, Rotary represents the people of the ‘Nations United’ in the best possible way.
And seldom have our societies had a greater need to re-establish and embed the Rotary ideal of service before self, which, standing alongside the very high ethical standards that you enshrine, is at the heart of what you are about and one of the core messages that you convey.
Furthermore, the idea that what is done should be useful (and I would add in some contexts even just understood) is essential in certain sectors of our economies.
The advancement of understanding between ethnic groups, the goal of cross-cultural projects and your encouragement of diversity of membership are other noble objectives - vitally important in today’s societies. And there are few better places giving evidence of progress than Birmingham - one of the truly cosmopolitan cities of the world.
Our city has grown over the centuries from its origins as the ‘home of the people of Beorma’, which is what the name ‘Birmingham’ means, welcoming and incorporating people from the four corners of the world, making this their home too, building their lives, contributing through work and culture and achieving their full potential.
To speak of home is to speak of family and friendship, and the family centred aspects of your programme are vitally important in societies today. I know that Rotary has impressive youth and educational exchange programmes. And training and mentoring young people is a very important part of what you do.
Birmingham has changed since the Industrial Revolution and the times of Boulton and Watt, when we were rightly known as the Workshop of the World, to the International City that we are today, proud of our industry and commerce, our role in the Arts - some of which you will be enjoying - and in education with three Universities attracting students internationally to world class courses and the cutting edge research they undertake.
And just as Rotary is a can-do organisation so Birmingham is a ‘can-do’ city where the sun is always shining - although we may sometimes have to rely on metaphor!
Indeed, I know that Rotary has done great work in the fields of health and medicine including the fights against Polio, tuberculosis and cancer amongst many other important areas, and I am old enough to remember when both polio and tuberculosis afflicted the community where I once lived and the suffering that both diseases bring.
Close to my own heart is an aim to combat Pancreatic Cancer, because while there’s been progress with many cancers, for cancer of the pancreas the five-year survival rate following diagnosis forty years ago stood at 3%.Today that rate is - well, just 3%.
Yet the disease is treatable if it can be detected early enough, and I aim, through the Lord Mayor’s Charity, to support research, conducted at our outstanding School of Cancer Sciences at the University of Birmingham, into improved diagnostic methods.
While I’m not yet a member of Rotary I am looking forward to being inducted into membership very soon, and I can however already claim a sort of tenuous geographical connection.
This is on the grounds that I lived for a year in Evanston Illinois, which of course is the home of Rotary International World Headquarters. Admittedly though, this was quite some time ago now - in fact it was when JFK was president!
And President Kennedy once said that ‘individuals can make a difference and should try’ and Jane Goodall who is addressing the convention has said that every individual can make a difference every day by recognising personal responsibility and the ability to affect beneficial change through our conduct as consumers, through lifestyle change, through being active and engaged. And to that I’m sure that we would add, through the extension of friendship.
Rotary, it is abundantly clear, in readily taking up those responsibilities, and through actively applying your energies both individually and collectively, brings massive beneficial changes right across the globe making, so to say, ‘a world of difference’. And small things count too - remember the saying - no drops, no ocean.
Which is why we welcome you so very warmly on behalf of the City of Birmingham - and our good neighbours in Solihull and Warwickshire - and we wish you every success both in your International Convention here, and in all the years to come."

My Charities for the Year

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Birmingham has a very wide range of charities with a large number of volunteers doing outstanding work. Each year, the Lord Mayor can identify for charitable causes for particular support. These are the ones that I have chosen. You can find out more and make a donation or suggest a fundraising event through the Lord Mayor’s Parlour on 0121-303-2040 email: lordmayor@birmingham.gov.uk
The Birmingham Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research. My objective is to establish a new registered charity that outlasts the current Mayoralty - and indeed runs until that dread affliction is mastered. While there’s been steady progress with several forms of cancer, for pancreatic cancer the five-year survival rate following diagnosis forty years ago stood at just 3%. Today that rate is - well, just 3%. Yet the disease is treatable on those occasions where the cancer is detected early enough, and the primary focus of the fund will be on research, conducted in Birmingham, into improved diagnostic methods.
St. Basil’s. The inestimable work of this charity with young people providing them with support services, advice, mediation and guidance and tackling and preventing homelessness and its consequences has helped to transform very many young lives here in Birmingham. However, in today’s society there is no let-up in the need for the very wide range of services so ably provided by St. Basil’s, and we will be making a big effort during the year to support this most worthy cause.
WAITS. Women Acting In Today’s Society - is a very important charity in a diverse city such as Birmingham, and WAITS is doing outstanding work enabling women to address issues and overcome barriers, combating isolation and providing help to increase the involvement of women in the public life and business of communities throughout the city - from which all of us will benefit. Here again, we know that there is a continuing need for the extensive range of activities carried out by WAITS, and that there are many who are yet to benefit, and a great deal more work still to be done.
Lord Mayor’s Engineering Scholarships. A fund to support the study and practice of Engineering in Birmingham - at various levels and in a range of forms. As a Council we recognise the unmatched contribution that engineering has made to the City, and I am sure we would all agree that it is vital that Birmingham remains prominent in this important field in the future. So, alongside other initiatives, we will encourage and enable young people from Birmingham to take up engineering both as a course of study and as a fulfilling future career. Encouragement will also be offered to progress developments in vital newer areas such as Clinical Engineering.

Matthew Boulton Exhibition

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Whatever else you do, do pay a visit to the Matthew Boulton bicentenary exhibition in Birmingham Museum’s Water Hall. It is absolutely magnificent, with paintings, coins, clocks, commemorative medals, ormolu ware, jewellery, swords and much more.
The exhibits are superbly displayed and the greatest credit is due to the museum staff and the experts and volunteers who planned and delivered the exhibition. There is a superb catalogue and guides giving background to the exhibits.
If you’re lucky you will see people in period costume to explain things to you. Boulton was the foremost manufacturer and entrepreneur who laid the foundations of the City’s industrial greatness.

Despite being at the preview evening, I could not resist a second visit the following day and I was lucky enough to get a close ip view of a superb steam traction engine outside the museum.
At the preview evening, in a stunning revelation, Professor Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England who opened the exhibition, on the preview evening revealed that the new £50 note (which is due out late next year) will feature Matthew Boulton and James Watt and Birmingham’s Soho House where Matthew Boulton lived.
This will be a great tribute to Birmingham, and the City is most appreciative of the Governor’s magnificent gesture which gave rise to a roar of appreciation amongst the 300 people who were at the preview. Thank you Prof King - and do come back to Birmingham soon!

Parlours and Robes

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In the first Lord Mayor’s blog posting I mentioned possible ‘weighty matters’. I had in mind not important issues for the city that weigh on the mind, but the weight of the mayoral regalia on the shoulders! Most of the time the Lord Mayor wears pinstripes, black jacket, waistcoat, white shirt, black shoes, a subdued tie and of course the chain of office.
For wear around the Lord Mayor’s Parlour a ‘day badge’ pendant can be worn instead and the full chain. This last can be a blessing for an hour or so as the solid gold chain is very heavy (Imagine a large bag of sugar on each shoulder). For full ceremonial occasions the Lord Mayor is fully robed. In addition to the chain of office, the robes include a good deal of metal (gold) and are also pretty heavy. Moreover they are most efficient at keeping in the heat! This is fine in winter, but if you catch a glimpse of me sneaking a drink of water on my walkabouts you’ll know why!
There are two sets of robes to accommodate the varying heights of Lord Mayors. There is also the distinctive three cornered (tricorn) hat. There are three sizes. I just about manage with the largest one - even with my new, much shorter hairstyle (Press please note!)
I mentioned the Lord Mayor’s ‘parlour’. This has a nice old-fashioned ring to it. It is a suite of offices including the Lord Mayor’s room and a room shared by the Deputy Lord Mayor (the previous year’s Lord Mayor) and the lady Mayoress. There is also a ‘retiring room’ which includes a shower (remember the heat of the robes). The Lord Mayor’s room itself is steeped in history and the desk at which I work comes down to us from Neville Chamberlain.
But what makes things really special is the staff of the parlour. Eight really dedicated, professional and hard working people who ensure things work smoothly and that the Civic dimension of the City’s work is outstanding. And on major occasions the full time staff are joined by volunteers who give, largely unsung, unstintingly of their time and to whom I am already immensely grateful. You can find out more about the Lord Mayor’s Parlour and what we do by visiting the Lord Mayor's Parlour pages on the Council’s website.
In my next posting I’ll say a bit more about the interesting and varied events of the first week or two of my year.