Weekly Column: Mayor Mohammed Zaman

Date published: 10 May 2019

This week has been very busy for me as the month of Ramadan and fasting began on Tuesday and will continue for the next 29/30 days. Ramadan Mubarak to all our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Thankfully, the weather has been cool, so we are off to a good start. I’m looking forward to this month of blessings and I’m sure we shall attend many Iftar (fast opening) events at different mosques and community venues as we come towards the end of Ramadan, then it is Eid celebrations time.

This is a month to reflect on our lives which teaches us self-discipline and encourages us to look at those who are less fortunate and extend our helping hands through charity; a lot of people raise funds for charities throughout Ramadan to help others around the globe. I’m hoping to continue to spread the message of love, peace and solidarity to promote community cohesion and want to encourage members of the diverse community to attend and experience an Iftar event at a local mosque.

I wish everybody a happy Ramadan and hope you enjoy this time with your family, friends and loved ones.

 

Week commencing Monday 29 April – Sunday 5 May

Monday, I had no engagements.

Tuesday, I attended Number One Riverside for a Dippy Project event with school children. Pupils from Broadfield Community Primary School took part in various activities like making clay models of Dippy the dinosaur, stamps, took part in a quiz and looked at different objects and fossils. It was a very interactive day with everyone working together.

The event was organised to promote the arrival of Dippy in Rochdale early next year, whilst developing the understanding of our history and heritage in young people. I’m grateful to the organisers for involving children from different schools and was pleased to see the pupils so happy to take part.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/127801/broadfield-pupils-enjoy-a-natural-history-adventure-as-they-get-ready-to-welcome-dippy

 

 

Run by Neil Gibbons and Alison from Prima Dance company, a dance group has been going for a long time in Rochdale Town Hall, which meets every Tuesday in the Great Hall.

Providing music and entertainment, a social ‘Tea Dance’ was organised in aid of the Mayor’s Charity Appeal where all members of the dancing group agreed to bring raffle prizes and raise funds for local causes through ticket sales. A very generous donation of £72.30 was received.

Thank you to the members who I have met many times throughout my year as mayor and I think are amazing people. The group benefits all members as they meet new friends and enjoy their time together.

 

 

I was invited to the launch of Revilo Homes new client suite on Bridgefold Road. This new office was previously a derelict building that Revilo have taken on and refurbished to be a state of art workplace. I had a tour and loved both the interior and exterior design.

I had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the business. This is another good addition to Rochdale offering excellent services. Thank you to CEO of Revilo Group, Lee Collins and his colleagues for inviting me and also for signing up to the Rochdale Ambassadors scheme to put our town on the national map in terms of business. I wish the company all the best for the future.

 

 

Tuesday evening, La Min-Haz Restaurant in Middleton hosted a charity dinner for my Mayor’s Charity Appeal. This was a very nice evening attended by colleagues at the town hall and local councillors for Middleton, who all enjoyed a delicious meal.

Owner of the restaurant, Moshahid Hussain, the chefs and his staff were very generous as they took good care of the customers. Moshahid is a good friend of mine, I have known him for over 20 years, and he also supports a lot of charity work back at his home in Bangladesh.

La Min-Haz raised £520 altogether for the Mayor’s Charity and I think all who helped reach this amount, as well as La Min-Haz for their hospitality and generosity in supporting others locally.

 

 

 

Thursday was election day, but I still had my usual engagements like the weekly Veteran’s Breakfast in the Clock Tower Dining Room. I admire the veteran’s in our community and always enjoy saying hello to them at the club as they speak of their interests and memories. I was presented a nice mug designed by one of the members, which I appreciated and thank them for. I won’t be able to have breakfast with them for a while now due to fasting, but I hope to keep in touch with the veterans even after my mayoral year is over.

Rochdale Music Service held a concert in Rochdale Town Hall where so many young people from different schools came together and gave solo and group performances. All involved were amazing, talented young people who are very keen to develop their skills and build professional careers in whatever field they would like to pursue.

I presented the winners with trophies, and this year I sponsored a special Mayor’s ‘Diversity Music Award’ trophy. Thank you to Rochdale Music Service for involving young people from all backgrounds and to everyone who attended the service - keep up the good work.

 

 

 

 

Friday, I hosted a business breakfast in the Clock Tower Dining Room to engage local small businesses by coming together and finding out more about the town centre from Rochdale Development Agency (RDA).

John Searle, CEO of RDA, gave a brief presentation on the development of Riverside shopping centre in the town centre and the surrounding areas like Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum and the train station. Councillor John Blundell also spoke to small businesses and encouraged them to work together as a team and told them what help they can get from the council.

The breakfast was well attended, and I hope it can continue in the future. Thank you to Rochdale Council for all the support they gave in organising the event and all who joined.

 

 

After the business breakfast, I invited two members of the community – Imran Qureshi and his wife - to the Mayor’s Parlour as they were interested to learn the role of the mayor. I asked them to sign the register and put their visit on record. Thank you to them for taking the time to listen to what I do and have done throughout my year.

 

 

Saturday, I was invited to Rochdale Borough Multicultural Parade in Broadfield Park, organised by the Nigeria Community Association. The aim of the event was for all groups and organisations in our community from different countries to stand together and fly their country flags. The event was open to all faiths, age groups and different backgrounds and I was glad to see a good turnout.

Also hosted on the day was the Mayor’s Mini Olympics, where Link4Life organised sports activities for young people and GMP joined and also held activities. Overall it was a very successful day with food stalls and music.

Thank you to the Friends of Broadfield Park, Mary from the Nigeria Community Association, Amy from Link4Life, my consort Mohammed Sheraz for his organisation and helping with some of the activities, volunteers for supporting the day and other members of the community who came to join the event.

 

 

Saturday evening, I attended the opening of NK Solicitors on Water Street, Rochdale. Nazakat Khan is senior solicitor and partner at NK who works very hard to establish his practice in the town. He has experience in various areas such as immigration, family matters and more, with a very good track record with asylum seekers.

I send congratulations to him for opening this office, which is yet another great addition to the local economy. I wish Nazakat all the best.

 

 

Sunday, I was invited to Bowlee Park for a very interesting visit. 800 cyclists from all over Greater Manchester took part in the Tour de Manc 100-mile charity cycle race. I gave out medals as so many arrived at the park on their way from the race and listened to their comments on what beautiful scenery Rochdale has and hope to attend again next year.

The weather had been very kind so the day had a really good turnout; some being professional cyclists who have taken part in many tours all over the country. It was my pleasure to be there.

 

 

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

The next Mayor of Rochdale will be councillor Billy Sheerin who will be sworn in at the next full council meeting on Wednesday 22 May 2019.