Poundland Blog

Well the first duty done as Deputy Mayor and Mayoress!

Poundland stores are well and truly open in the Mander Centre shopping centre in Wolverhampton. All in all it was a very pleasant experience. We met the owner Dave Dodd who explained that he had been with Poundland since the start that he was Wolverhampton born and bred and he was feeling very proud that he was opening this store in Wolverhampton. He started in retail as a market stall holder and he was a mighty proud man knowing that he was

I duly opened the store with a flourish at smack on 10.00am and a very sizeable crowd flooded into the store.

Poundland provided a nice cheque for the Mayors Charity Fund and 50 items [that will be picked up by the Mayors staff] for raffle prizes during the course of the year. All the proceeds going again to the Mayors Charity.

It was good to see Dave Dodd which is very much a local bloke doing so well and providing some 3,000 jobs in the process. I for my part will always look at Poundland with interest. As it was our first Deputy Mayoral engagement.

Can I say how nice it was to see so many people from Wednesfield in the crowd…thank you for the polite welcome that you gave to Mary and me?

Finally a secret….During the opening ceremony and just before I cut the ribbon to open the store. I caught sight of my cousin Leslie Gail who had flown into Birmingham Airport from Toronto at 8.30am this morning. I must admit to growing an extra half inch in the knowledge that a member of my family from Canada had just caught the show! Thanks Nicola for speeding out to the airport and picking Leslie Gail up and getting her to the Mander Centre….that was a much unexpected pleasure!

I certainly enjoyed the first official duty it was a nice experience…..now for the BBC and the new Mailbox studios tomorrow…oh and of course that Aussie bandit Ed Doolan!

I wonder if Ed will be caring and deferential to the Deputy Mayor……some how I do not think so ..But it should be entertaining!