W L
THE MAYOR ' S MONTHLY
by The Mayor of Wirral , Jeff Green
Although it ’ s always sad to see the end of the festivities , there is definitely something nice about the start of a new year and looking forward to what it will bring .
And that sentiment is stronger than ever this year with the return of The Open golf championship to Hoylake in July , and Eurovision - the world ’ s biggest pop music event – on the banks of the Mersey a few months earlier .
The spotlight will certainly be on our part of the world in 2023 and I for one can ’ t wait !
The new year got off to a hugely enjoyable start on 1st January with a very bright and breezy visit to New Brighton beach , where I had the honour of refereeing the tug of war competition between New Brighton RNLI and the Merseyside Sub-Aqua Club ( Branch 5 ). The RNLI team celebrated their win with a swim in the Mersey , which I sadly had to pass on because I had ( purposefully ) forgotten my trunks !
Later that week I got to see a little bit of Wallasey history in action at a wonderful performance of Red Riding Hood by the Chrysanthemums Pantomime Society at the Floral Pavilion . Formed in 1918 to provide a bit of relief from the post-war gloom , the society is still putting on shows , raising funds for good causes , and keeping thousands of people entertained after a remarkable 105 years . Don ’ t miss next year ’ s show if you get the chance .
I had the huge honour of welcoming the Prince and Princess of Wales to Wirral on 12 January . The Royal couple had come to visit local charity ‘ Open Door ’ at their inspirational Bloom Building in Birkenhead . Charity director Lee Pennington and his team explained the innovative work they do to provide free , mentor-led , creative therapeutic support to younger people who are feeling down , stressed or anxious . I , like everyone present , was inspired to learn about their work to help local young people in need of support .
As soon as the Royals departed it was off to The Hive , Wirral Youth Zone , where I got to thank the youngsters , staff and trustees for all the food hampers they sourced , packed and delivered for families and young people at Christmas . They , like many others across the borough , deserve all our appreciation for supporting others . The Mayoress , Carol , had a much-deserved afternoon off on 14 January , so my daughter Emma donned the consort ’ s chains to join me on a visit to Caldy Rugby Club
for their match against Richmond . It was great to get the opportunity to thank everyone at the club for what they have done to put Wirral on the map and although the weather was a bit grim , the 27-7 victory went a long way to warm the spirits .
It was a pleasure to welcome four former Wirral Councillors back to Wallasey Town Hall on 17th January and invest them as Honorary Alderman . With 99 years of collective service between them , Pat Hackett , Adrian Jones , Moira McLaughlin and Les Rowlands , continue to show a passion that is as strong as ever for improving the wellbeing of local residents .
Earlier that day I visited the offices of the Wirral Council-managed Merseyside Pension Fund , where it was fascinating to hear about the £ 10Billion fund and wonderful to learn that it has 130 members who are over 100 years old .
Chinese New Year celebrations are always an early highlight in the calendar and this year was especially enjoyable . On 22nd January the Mayoress and myself were guests at Liverpool ’ s Chinese Business Association ’ s celebration at the Adelphi Hotel to welcome the Lunar New Year . A couple of days later we enjoyed a wonderful welcome from Wirral Chinese Association at the Wirral Change premises in Birkenhead . Their optimism for this Year of the Rabbit was palpable and I have to say that I shared it after spending a few hours with such a kind , hospitable and entertaining group of people .
One of my final engagements in January was to attend a commemoration event on Holocaust Memorial Day , which takes place each year on 27th January as it marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz- Birkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland . I had the honour of joining local environment volunteers from ‘ Earth Moves ’ in Wallasey to help plant commemorative trees and light candles in memory of those who were lost or had suffered through genocide . The ceremony was simple and moving and the message will stay with me forever . As always , Carol and I would like to give our sincere thanks to all the groups and individuals who have hosted us over the past few weeks - including many that I have not been able to mention here due to the space constraints . It really is a great privilege to see so many amazing things going on across our peninsular .
Cllr . Jeff Green Mayor of Wirral
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