Weekly Column: Mayor Billy Sheerin

Date published: 25 July 2019

This weekly column from the Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Billy Sheerin, is about the places he has been and the people he has met during the week commencing Monday 8 to Sunday 14 July 2019.

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Tuesday (9 July 2019) I performed an opening ceremony for the launch of Smallbridge Pantry. This is a new 'food club' for the residents of Smallbridge where for a payment of £3 a week, you can choose 10 items of food from the shelves including cereals, pasta, fruit and veg.

It is always an inspiration to see what local people can achieve for other local people. Food is a basic need and the lack of it affects people in so many ways besides the obvious. Efforts like the Pantry helps people in a way that is not simply a handout. It is a wonderful scheme and I thank everyone involved.

I hope the food club can help the people of Smallbridge for many years to come.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/129020/mayor-welcomes-smallbridge-volunteer-‘food-club’

 

 

I was invited to a ‘thank you BBQ’ and the annual general meeting of Greater Manchester North Scouts at their base in Middleton. The scout group encompasses scouts in Bury, Oldham, Bolton and Rochdale, and all the mayors of Greater Manchester attended the AGM, chaired by the county chairman, Stephen Allen.

The BBQ was to die for – the spare ribs were absolutely amazing; I could have eaten hundreds. Thank you to the scouts for inviting me to such an enjoyable occasion.

Thursday (11 July) I had a meeting with Jimmy Cricket in the Mayor’s Parlour. Jimmy has written a musical about a soldier who fought in WW1 and it has been proposed to perform it on Remembrance Sunday this year at Rochdale Town Hall. With a bit of luck, we are hoping to cast Sue Devaney and Colin Meredith in the lead roles.

The musical is still being planned and casting is only just happening, but something we do know is that 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Poppy Appeal and 50% will go to my chosen charities for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal. I’m sure it is going to be a great fundraising event at £10 a ticket.

I was invited to Littleborough Coach House to have afternoon tea with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). RNLI were founded in 1824 as a charity that saves lives at sea and host a Strawberry Tea every year, inviting the mayor. Their lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 140,000 lives, not forgetting the many lives they saved during WW1.

There were a number of stalls selling gifts such as plants and bric-a-brac, and raffles were held to raise funds for the charity. Thank you to RNLI for inviting me and to all the volunteers and supporters of RNLI who help a great cause. I admire these people.

I had a really interesting company visit to Mellor Coachcraft based in Rochdale, where I got to sit behind the wheel of a coach. Carol Hopkins from RDA arranged the meeting after we both attended the Go Electric - Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle Showcase at Kingsway Business Park, where I expressed my interest in their electric bus. They invited me to their factory to have a look at all the electric vehicles they have.

It was absolutely fascinating to see buses and coaches put together that are then sold all over the country. They told me how they are planning to go electric on a lot of their vehicles with their skilled workforce, and I wish them all the best for the future.

 

 

 

St John’s RC Primary School Sports Awards was another terrific event that I had the pleasure of going to. The school are taking obesity in children very seriously and are focusing on the fitness of their pupils with a new school gym launching in September. I was accompanied by my wife, mayoress Lynn Sheerin, as we gave sports awards to the children. It was excellently organised, and all the pupils were extremely well behaved. Well done to all and I hope you enjoy your new gym later in the year.

On Saturday (13 July), Rochdale’s first ever Children’s Literature Festival was held at Number One Riverside. The event welcomed special guests such as acclaimed authors, Michael Rosen and Frank Cotrell Boyce, and children could take part in reading activities, performances with puppets and enjoy stalls such as name the teddy, Willy Wonka’s sweet stall and art workshops. Thank you to the children who turned up to my reading session, it was a pleasure for me to attend.

 

 

Hosted by Rochdale Music Service, Bamford Chapel and Norden United Reformed Church held a community garden party, which I attended with Liz McInnes MP and my wife. It was a very well attended event with performances from a brass band and pop choir, as well as a birds of prey display, local food stalls, tombola and more. It was a brilliant event bringing the village together, especially with the nice weather.

 

 

For a third year, Around the World in Falinge Park returned on Sunday (14 July) with even more cultures represented in food, fashion, craft and entertainment for the community to enjoy. I had a mayoral tombola stall, and other stalls were on hand including handmade gifts, traditional food and information stalls, as well as fun-filled activities from around the world. I visited a number of local charities, businesses and community group stalls who were offering advice about their services.

 

 

 

 

Finally, to finish the week, I attended St Leonard’s Parish Church in Middleton for the collation and induction of Reverend Alison Bailie. I wish her well in her new role.

Mayoral Invitations

​​​​The Mayor welcomes invitations to events held by local organisations and individuals. Due to demand, it may not be possible for the Mayor to attend every event he is invited to.

To invite the Mayor to your event please complete the Mayor attendance form and return it to the Mayor's Officer.

Visit: www.rochdale.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/mayors/Pages/mayoral-invitations.aspx

Email: mayoral@rochdale.gov.uk

Tel: 01706 924773