Bangladeshi Hospitality

Last night we joined a very select band of guests in Olton Solihull at the request of the Assistant Commissioner of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.

Both Mary and I were honoured to be asked to attend a dinner that was held at the Rajnagar Restaurant. The Assistant High Commissioner is preparing to leave the U.K at some time in the future to return to Bangladesh.

He was very gracious in his speech and he warmly welcomed us to what was a very select gathering.

The party was made up of the Assistant High Commissioner and his wife Mrs Lina Choudhury, a former Bangladeshi Ambassador to UNESCO and his wife, the Mayor and Mayoress of Solihull, and the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Solihull.

Also in attendance was his Excellency NP Sharma Consul General of India.

It was a very nice night and it is apparent that we were invited to attend this gathering because of the International links that we tried to forge during our Mayoral year that ended last week. I asked his Excellency the Assistant High Commissioner why he had invited us to the meal, and he explained that he thought that we had done well in our year of office forging links with people and places, he knew that we were out of office. But he still wanted our company at the dinner party.

All manner of people have thanked us for the Mayoral year and many have been very kind to us. But I am particularly pleased to have been invited with Mary to what in essence was a gathering of important international dignitaries. I do believe that we have done well for Wolverhampton in making friendships and lifting our great city's profile both here and abroad!"