Weekly Column: Mayor Billy Sheerin
Date published: 06 July 2019
Mayor Billy Sheerin attended Middleton Memorial Gardens for the Armed Forces Day flag raise on Thursday 27 June
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 24 to Sunday 30 June 2019.
Monday, I had the privilege of opening the ‘Rochdale Reimagined’ exhibition at Number One Riverside. In collaboration with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency, the exhibition showcases 50 architectural proposals at Rochdale Central Library by postgraduate students and staff of Manchester School of Architecture.
The exhibition focuses on the Heritage Action Zone, which was awarded Heritage Lottery funding last year to move the town forward. The drawings focus on Drake Street and the major development on Central Retail Park - where Halfords, Matalan and Argos are located – earmarked for a huge housing development.
Seeing all the proposals submitted from these young, imaginative people was exciting. Both drawings and visual models are on display, showing you how the township could be pushed forward in the future. They are definitely futuristic 21st century designs; the proposal for Rochdale train station was my favourite but they are all wonderful.
The designs are open to the public at the central library until 16 August 2019, open every day except for Sunday.
Tuesday night welcomed the Mayor’s Youth Awards at Rochdale Town Hall. 36 nominations were received for the awards this year overall. I presented all the nominees with certificates and gave a total of eight awards to the Youth Award winners.
I am very proud of all the youth within our borough and it is heart-warming to know that the vast majority of our youth today have a lot of values. I was humbled by the outstanding stories we heard during the awards and it’s a pleasure to recognise the good work these young people do.
We don’t always recognise the heroes around us, but I’m glad we did at this amazing night.
Wednesday (26 June) was a most enjoyable afternoon with my wife, Lynn. We had a very sociable day at Rochdale Pensioners’ Association annual Summer Luncheon.
I was able to chat to and catch up with a lot of people I know from being the Older People’s Champion. Sadly, I didn’t win bingo, which I thought was mandatory for the mayor to win… but I did win again on the raffle! It was a very well organised day with great entertainment.
Thank you to the Pensioner’s Association for inviting me along.
I presented a Mayor’s Certificate of Achievement to Aaron Parmar on Wednesday afternoon in the Mayor’s Parlour. Aaron, a firefighter from Rochdale, ran twenty-two 10K marathons in memory of each of the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017. Aaron was a police officer at the arena on the night of the bomb, witnessing the physical and emotional devastation it caused to many families.
It was an absolute privilege to meet this gentleman, who I have nothing but admiration for. He ran the marathons in full firefighter kit, dedicating each race to one new victim along the way. He told me when he was only a few miles into the first race he thought ‘what the heck am I doing’, but he fought on and raised over £15,200.
Thursday, we had a flag raising double-header for Armed Forces Day. The first time I hoisted the flag, it nearly killed me. It would have been easier in my younger days. Thankfully, this time I was lucky and had a 6 ft 1 fusilier helping me.
After the veteran’s breakfast in the Clock Tower Dining Room, we all joined a flag raising ceremony outside Rochdale Town Hall where the Armed Forces flag was proudly raised. I also raised the flag in Middleton Memorial Gardens, showing support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, including serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets.
The Mayor’s Charity Committee had their first charity meeting Thursday evening. I was very pleased with the number of volunteers and welcomed all who offered their services. We have come up with several new ideas on how to raise money for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal this year and I hope they will appeal to the public. The committee carry out such important work, helping many groups and charities within Rochdale, and I’m looking forward to the year of fundraising ahead.
Friday (28 June) I travelled to Middleton Arena for another Age-Friendly Rochdale event, organised by a partnership of groups and organisations that work with older people in the borough. The event was hosted as part of the mission to make Rochdale one of the first age-friendly places in the country and was very well attended with those present including Liz McInnes MP, councillor for South Middleton Patricia Mary Dale and advisors from Adult and Social Care.
The event was opened by Paul McGarry from Age-Friendly Manchester, before a variety of entertainment was provided such as live music, along with a meal and the opportunity to voice your opinion about how the borough can be improved for the elderly in future.
Friday was also National Care Home Open Day, with care homes across the country opening their doors to the public. I attended open days at both The Willows Dementia Hub and Half Acre House Care Home.
It was lovely to go back to The Willows as when I was deputy mayor, I was lucky enough to open the facility. Over the past year it has truly blossomed into a safe space and a centre of excellence for those with dementia; a much-needed facility for the borough.
A performance from mindful music was on offer as well as a visit from the Calderbrook Alpacas and the chance to have drop in sessions with Link 4 Life, Alzheimer's Society and Rochdale Carers. I joined in with Carers Choir as I have known the members for years, it was wonderful. I also told the residents some funny stories of mine from my theatre days. I really enjoyed meeting them all again.
Half Acre House was just as impressive. This year’s theme for the national day was celebrating the role of Arts in Care, so Half Acre had a display of the activities they take part in, hands on art activities, local artists who shared their art skills and the chance hear the resident’s stories. I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to both of the homes for inviting me.
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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