Weekly Column: Mayor Mohammed Zaman
Date published: 22 February 2019
Mayor Mohammed Zaman
Week commencing Monday 11 – Sunday 17 February
Monday, I attended Heywood Charities Fete AGM at Sandon House. The Heywood Charities Fete is one of the biggest and the most long-standing event in the calendar of Heywood, having taken place since 1933.
Organised by the Heywood Charities Fete Committee, it traditionally takes place annually on the first Sunday in September and is supported by many local voluntary groups, organisations and local businesses. It is not only a popular event in Heywood but throughout the borough of Rochdale.
At the AGM, new charity committee officers were appointed for the next fete and feedback was given on the success of the event last year. I’m glad to see the event has tremendous support from the community and local businesses.
Thank you to former Lions Club president, Steve Brown, for inviting me and for always having an active role in organising the fete. Thank you also to councillors Peter Rush and Ray Dutton for also attending the AGM and to all the committee members who take part in the annual parade.
Tuesday, I led the British Citizenship Registrars presentation at the Town Hall registrar’s office. I presented certificates to citizens who have recently received their British citizenship from the government.
This is a monthly ceremony where people from various countries with different faiths, cultures and backgrounds are officially welcomed to Rochdale – their new home.
Receiving British citizenship is a lengthy and expensive process, so I always enjoy seeing the citizens smiles of relief once the process and ceremony is over. I’m proud to say we have such diversity in Rochdale. I always welcome our new citizens on behalf of all the borough.
I also learnt here that there are 90 different languages spoken in Rochdale. I’m very proud of our diversity.
I attended another AGM for the Sahiwal Working Party. Sahiwal in Pakistan has been a twin town of Rochdale since 1989, when a link was established to promote Sahiwal and support people who had moved to Rochdale. Since the group was established, there has been regular exchange trips, events organised, and connections made between the two towns.
Members of the party were re-appointed including Chairman Sultan Ali, Vice Chairman Razia Shamim MBE, Secretary Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE and Treasurer Irene Davidson. I wish the party all the best and I hope the members can continue to help it grow and promote the group.
Wednesday morning, I had a visit from the former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan. He is a Pakistani-Kashmiri politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir twice.
He made a brief visit to the town hall and met some of the councillors for Rochdale. He was pleased to visit and meet members of the local community.
I welcomed him into the Mayor’s Parlour where he signed the visitor’s book and I presented him with a Rochdale Town Hall plate to remember his visit to the building on his short trip to the UK.
I attended the Heritage Lottery Fund Project luncheon to discuss the renovation of the town hall and how planning is going ahead. I was happy to meet all the people who will be working on the inside and outside changes of the building and acknowledge the work they have carried out so far. I’m positive that the renovations will attract new visitors, more businesses and it will be worth the wait.
More about the renovation plans can be read on Rochdale Online:
Thank you to RDA officers including Nicola Shepherd and Jonathan Hindle and members at the town hall such as Dorothy Johnstone who organised this event.
Wednesday afternoon, I went to Beech House Residential Care Home to wish Janey Hall a happy 100th birthday. I presented her with flowers and a card to celebrate the occasion and she received a card from the Queen.
Janey is in really good health and was happy to hear old songs by a singer that she used to sing in her youth. It was a special moment for me and the other residents to see her happy and sing along.
I asked her what her secret to her good health and great memory was and she responded, ‘Don’t get married’, which made me laugh. It was a really uplifting celebration.
Once again, happy birthday to Janey and thank you to the staff at the home for providing good care for the residents.
Evening, I was back at Rochdale town hall for the new member of UK Youth Parliament results event. More and more young people are learning about democracy in school and voting through youth parliament, helping students have better understanding and awareness of how different systems work, like democracy.
A big thank you to all the council officers who have supported the youth parliament project and all the schools who actively take part. I hope Anita Okunde, elected Member of Youth Parliament for this year and her deputy, Louis Tweedale, will do well. I’ve offered my support if they ever need help or advice from me during my mayoral year.
Thursday, I was invited to Kashmir Youth Project (KYP) Rochdale for an event titled 'Advancing Equality Across Rochdale'.
In January 2017, the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership made an agreement with the GM Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to collaborate towards shared outcomes.
As part of this, the implementation of equality, inclusion and diversity means that various local events are being held to address historic inequalities that still impact Rochdale communities.
This was a well-attended event with a Q&A session and workshops on the issues that can be addressed regarding equality and inclusion. It was a good opportunity for stakeholders to engage and join the development.
Thank you to GM Health & Social Care Partnership, GMCVO, KYP, BHA and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale CCG for being part of this project and for inviting me to see your aims and goals for the Rochdale borough.
Friday, I attended an apprentice collaboration event between health care workers, social services workers and the NHS. The organisations are trying to conduct exchanges between apprentices so they can learn more about the different sectors and gain more experience within different roles.
Thank you to Sally Cook and Barbara Smyth who organised this event at the town hall to introduce the apprentices to different workplaces and for allowing the young people to ask questions and gain more opportunities, allowing them to progress in their career with more qualifications.
I was invited to Hopwood Hall College’s annual review at their Middleton Campus. A presentation was given by the Principal, Derek O’Toole, giving a 12-month review for the 2017 – 2018 period, demonstrating the continuing progress of the college through a summary of their achievements. The college have an achievement rate of 87.1%, which exceeds the national rate by almost 5%.
It was a very positive report by the management team and the students who told of their experiences and how the college has helped them progress. Thank you to the college for inviting me.
Later Friday afternoon, I went to Heywood Civic Centre to celebrate Heywood Pensioners 25th Anniversary. I am glad the group have been organising and managing events for the last two decades to help pensioners socialise, interact with new and old friends and reduce isolation and stress – something that affects all of us but is more prominent in our elders.
The group have meetings on the last Tuesday of every month and organise various activities, enjoy music, play bingo, host raffles and hold sessions to raise funds for their group.
I presented Doris Dixon, the vice-chair and social secretary of the pensioners group who organises the luncheon, with flowers to show my appreciation of her running the luncheon for the group for the past 25 years. Liz McInnes MP for Heywood and Middleton also attended along with councillors Peter Rush and Linda Robinson.
Saturday, I attended Neeli Mosque’s Charity Dinner at the town hall. Neeli Mosque (part of UKIM) is in my ward and when I first came to Rochdale in the 1970’s, this was the first mosque I had links with and used to visit regularly.
With the growing need for the community, the mosque always struggles with accommodating those who wish to pray at the mosque, attend events or hold special events for things like Eid and funerals when there are big congregations. The mosque is hoping to pay for a development on the building, such as an annex, to provide more space to fit the needs of the community and serve a purpose for those who need it.
The mosque received an amazing amount of support with a lot of donations given to help with funding. I’m very pleased the dinner was successful and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished project. Thank you to all those who attended the fully booked event.
I encourage the public to visit local mosques on Sunday 3 March as mosques in Rochdale are taking part in the #VisitMyMosque national campaign. This means there is an open invitation to the everyone in the community - of faith or no faith - to explore mosques and develop an understanding of different faith groups.
Details of the Visit My Mosque Open Days can be found here:
www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/search?searchtype=text&searchvalue=visit+my+mosque
Sunday, I had no engagements.
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
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