The Week In Blog!

The things people do or in this case the things Mayor's will do!

Last week was such a varied week of action. It started with a meeting with one of the West Midlands long time transport officials from Centro last Monday 20th February. Then culminated on Sunday 26th February with meeting two Bishops Bishop Michael of Wolverhampton and Bishop Jonathan of Lichfield, plus a High Court Judge and the Lord Mayor of Stoke on Trent. All of this here in our great City!

We also went to the Temple on Dudley Street to celebrate the birthday of their Saint. A picture is on the site.

On the evening of the 20th I entertained the Wolverhampton Wanderers Ladies in the Mayor's Parlour. It was a really great night even though I got draped in gold black! The footballers were pleased to attend as was their Chairman Jenny Wilkes from Radio WM.

I must admit to being enthralled with their enthusiasm, and I did feel that the centre half and captain...well was the sort of player I could watch for ever(!)

In the middle part of the week we had tea with overseas student's from the University Business School, they came from Pakistan, Malaysia, and China. Wolverhampton has become a very international city and the University continues to attract interest from countries across the World.

Our contact with the University continued into the evening when we attended the Graduation Ceremony at the Grand Theatre for the School Of Health. Now that was a night to remember as the students received their graduation so the families whooped with joy!

At the end of the working week I received a deputation from the Tettenhall part of the City. They were keen to enlist my support for the rettention of the old war time air raid shelter at Tettenhall Green. This campaign has now attracted the interest of the Kings School and the Head teacher joined the Residents Association who asked me to support their campaign.

What I have agreed to do is to pass on the interest that they have shown to the appropriate City Council official. It is clear that the shelter is past its best and is suffering the ravages of time.

All of us agreed that public safety was the number one issue, but there is a strong argument that is building within the community for the shelters retention now that Kings School has thrown its weight behind the campaign.

In the afternoon I gave seven important 'Certificate of Excellence' awards to citizens who had impressed me with their civic duty and compassion. Now that was nice. A separate story about the event is on the web-site.

Wolverhampton City Centre was pretty raw and cold on Saturday morning as I stepped out with a huge group of 'Special Constables' who were tasked to patrol in the City Centre.

In the hour that I was out with the police, it was only the hardiest of individuals that were out and about! But the police did a grand job of re-assuring the public, and I look forward to seeing the crime figures for this particular day!

On Saturday evening 25th February we joined the Mayor of Dudley at a charity concert in Brierley Hill Civic Hall along with the Mayor of Walsall and the Chairman of South Staffordshire District Council. It was a nice night and the charity coffers I guess were pretty well filled at the end of the evening.

I hatched a plan that I hoped the other Mayor's would support in the 'LetsflyCosford' campaign that Advantage West Midlands and the Black Country Consortium amongst others are supporting.

I have suggested that all the Mayor's join together dressed in their ceremonial chains on an agreed date at RAF Cosford, to demonstrate the strength of will that we have as communities in the quest for the Government approval for the huge £1.5 billion training venture that Cosford is bidding for.

I have asked the Mayor's office in Wolverhampton to look into the arrangements. If its a flyer so to speak I will inform you via this site!

Today Monday the 27th February the Mayoress and I visited the University yet again, this time to be guests in the Students Union where a 'Muslim Awareness Week' is taking place. We were made very welcome by the Muslim cleric who acts for the students and we were shown around the exhibition and given literature relating to the religion. The whole idea of the exhibition is to strip away some of the mystery that surrounds the religion. It was interesting to see that University Pastor was also there, and we were also introduced to a Jew who was at the exhibition and supporting it, who told us all his family had been killed by terrorist action.

I do hope that other City Council Members will take the time to have a look at what is being displayed. The Imam told me that the Muslim community was active in the Inter Faith Group in Wolverhampton, he also told me that he liked Wolverhampton and was always treated well by its people.