To receive any announcements from the Mayor.
Minutes:
The Mayor made the following announcements:
“Before I read out my normal announcements, I would like to take this opportunity to advise the Chamber that this is the last meeting that the Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer, Karen Limmer will be attending as she retiring at Christmas.
On behalf of the Council I want to say a big thank you for all the hard work she has put in to help us all and wish her all the best in whatever she now plans to do in her retirement.
Before I share the report on my various public engagements over the past two months, I would like to announce that I have already completed half of my mayoral year. I would like to take a moment to reflect on the essence of the role as regards to my civic duties and the responsibilities entrusted to me as your mayor.
Serving as Mayor of Spelthorne is both a honour and a privilege , but it is also a profound responsibility. Beside presiding over council meetings, the role of a Mayor carries the weight of representing the community with dignity and respect. In my capacity as Mayor of Spelthorne, I have been encouraging and fostering an environment of collaboration and shared purpose where every councillor irrespective of their political affinity, every officer whatever their role or position, to represent the borough with pride, to uphold the values we cherish and work together as a team for the betterment of our community.
Looking ahead the remaining half, I reaffirm my commitment to serving with upmost respect, and dedication. I pledge to uphold the highest standards of integrity, impartiality and dedication.
This role calls for commitment to our borough and I am proud to present a summary of my main engagements and activities as Mayor of Spelthorne from 25th October to date. These events reflect the vibrancy of our Borough and the dedication of our community members to improving the lives of others.
Before I go through what I have been doing since the last Council meeting, I would like to welcome Annika Ratcliffe from North West Samaritans to the Chamber and let members know of a fantastic initiative from The Samaritans and Men in Sheds. As I am sure we all agree mental health matters and any project that can help residents is always a positive thing. The Samaritans and the Men in Sheds organisation have recently donated a talking bench for Fordbridge Park aimed at combating loneliness among Spelthorne residents. You can see an image of the bench on the screen behind me. The bench was manufactured by Men in Sheds to encourage conversations between strangers, fostering community connections and to support those feeling isolated to improve their mental health and well being. I am sure that the Chamber will join me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to both the Samaritans and Men in Sheds for providing such a beautiful bench.
The Key Activities and Highlights are as follows starting with the:
Surrey Poppy launch
I was honoured to join the Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, who is the Patron of Royal British Legion Surrey to launch the Surrey Poppy Appeal in support of the Royal British Legion for their invaluable work in supporting veterans and their families.
Remembrance Day
Furthermore, we at Spelthorne Borough Council observed the Remembrance Day to honour the service and sacrifices of all those who defended our country during the wars in particular the service man and women from Spelthorne. Services were held across the borough on Sunday 10th November and I participated in a Parade in Stanwell followed by laying of wreaths at the War Memorial to pay our respect and honour those who gave their lives in service to our country. Further to that, I attended the Remembrance Day Service at St Mary's Church conducted by Father John Hillman.
The next day, Monday 11 November , a ceremony was held outside the Council Offices to remember and pay tribute to our war heroes.
Festival of Lights at Stanwell Village Hall
A number community groups in Stanwell joined together to organised a Variety show to celebrate the Festival of Lights at Stanwell Village hall. The event brought about 130 people together to celebrate our diverse cultural heritage in unity. They also raised funds for my nominated charities.
Spelthorne Business Awards 2024
I was proud to honour the hard work, creativity and achievements of our business community at the Spelthorne Business Awards 2024. Finalists from 17 categories of businesses were recognised for their excellence and exceptional achievements. The overall award winner was Mejuicer and I presented them with The Spelthorne Business Awards 2024. This event celebrated the contribution and commitment of our local businesses and recognised their achievements in various categories.
Civic Business Reception marking the 50th Anniversary of Spelthorne Borough Council.
Another business celebration. The Civic Business Reception was held at Eden Grove and hosted by the Berkeley Group, was another resounding success with insightful addresses by our guest speakers. This event celebrated our 50 years anniversary and brought together key businesses people and other stakeholders from across the Borough highlighting the importance of partnership, regeneration, and community engagement.
Spelthorne in Bloom 2024
Spelthorne has been blooming this year. I observed the contribution of our residents, organisations, schools and businesses whose efforts to transform our borough into a greener and more blooming borough were recognised. The participants were outstanding, they created spaces that not only uplift our streets, parks or gardens but also, enrich the lives of everyone who lives, works, and visits Spelthorne.
Reflection on the Protection of River Thames
I joined Mayors of our neighbouring boroughs to participate in an environment workshop hosted by Royal Borough of Kingston which showcased the work being done to improve River Thames’ water quality. It was a good opportunity to reflect on the importance of safeguarding our natural resources for future generations.
Community Visits
As part of my community engagement, I had the opportunity to visit several community groups, namely the Macula Society in Staines and the Spelthorne Veterans, Action for Carers and Shepperton Cancer Patients participation Group. These visits have deepened my understanding of the works they are doing as well as challenges and contributions they make to Spelthorne.
Surrey Poet Laureateship
We have lot of talents in Spelthorne and I was thrilled to attend the end of year showcase organised by Surrey Poet Laureateship to celebrate the creativity and artistic expression of our poets in Spelthorne. They have done a fantastic work by creating a platform and bringing together writers, readers, and poem lovers to explore their crafts and share their words with a wider audience. I was impressed by their commitment to promoting arts and culture across Spelthorne and Surrey.
Art Exhibition by Daphne Clement
It was a pleasure to visit the art exhibition hosted by a talented local artist, Daphne Clement in Shepperton, where I discovered her remarkable works of art, and her amazing paintings deserved all our appreciation and encouragement.
Recognising our young people
I was proud to recognised and celebrate our young generation. I awarded certificates and badges at the annual award ceremony at the 398 Egham & Staines Squadron RAF Air Cadets and students at Philip Southcote School. Their achievements and dedication are a source of immense pride for Spelthorne.
Awards to our dedicated residents/organisations
I had the honour of celebrating the award of British Empire Medal granted by His Majesty the King to one of our remarkable residents of Spelthorne namely Eric Champion, for his longstanding dedication to Arts and Culture in the community; and also we were proud for two other organisations obtaining the King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2024 namely Spelthorne Litter Pickers, for their tireless environmental efforts; and The Revelries, for their cultural contributions.
Christmas Events
The festive season have started and I would like to remind everyone that Christmas is a time of joy and celebration and forgiveness. I participated in a number of events across the borough namely: Christmas service at Salvation Army, Stanwell parade and Christmas Lighting in Stanwell, I joined the residents to at Greeno Centre to celebrate Christmas and had the pleasure of attending a Christmas show by performed by the talented students of Staines Preparatory School. All were great celebrations, and I thanked everyone for their contributions to spreading joy and cheerfulness in the borough.
Fundraising for Charities
Beyond ceremonies and public engagements, I have been championing the causes of our four chosen charities and I am raising funds to support them to continue helping the community.
Conclusion
To conclude, the past three months has been a period of vibrant engagement and impactful initiatives in Spelthorne. As Mayor, I am committed to continue representing and celebrating the people of our Borough, ensuring that our community spirit grows stronger and together we’ll make Spelthorne the best place to live.