THE MAYOR OF WIRRAL - CHERRY POVALL
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THE MAYOR OF WIRRAL - CHERRY POVALL
Hello ! To say we have hit the ground running is a bit of an understatement .
We have very much joined life in the fast lane …. we did warn you that Thelma and Louise are on the loose !
Our very first engagement was to Liverpool University for a lecture given by Professor Chris Whitty . What a surprise that was as he was very different from the man that appeared on our TV screens nightly . He was entertaining , interesting , very knowledgeable and nothing like the bad press he got during the height of the Covid pandemic at all .
From that , we ventured the very next day into the first of our Saturday markets / fêtes . The one in New Brighton was all operated by young people ; the amazing number of young entrepreneurs with amazing talent was staggering starting at the unbelievable age of jus 13 years old . Hopefully they will be building the businesses economy of the future here in Wirral . We wish them every success and will continue to support all of the as best we can .
Every Saturday we have visited a fête or fayre and the scope and variety have been fantastic and who can resist the Tombola and the raffle ? Not us , of course !
We have done serious business too . We have attended several Civic Services in Merseyside and Chester and also attended the Remembering Srebrenica Service in Liverpool Parish Church . The latter was a Multi Faith Service and very moving remembering what happened in Srebrenica in July 1995 when over 8000 Bosnian men were murdered .
We also had a big day on 6th June for D-Day . Up early , we were out on the river chasing the receding tide at 6.29am with the lone piper , to remember those brave souls that made D-Day what it was .
The exact tome of 6.29am was an acknowledgement of the exact time when the men went ashore on the beaches of Normandy . It was very wet and windy but also very moving and we felt very privileged to represent the people of Wirral at that ceremony .
The day carried on with the unveiling of a Blue Plaque in Sandringham Drive , New Brighton , to mark the birthplace of General Dempsey who was Eisenhour ’ s No . 2 in the 2nd World War .
Moving on we led the service at the Cenotaph in Hamilton Square , which was another moving experience and great privilege . After that followed Afternoon Tea in the Parlour for the Veterans who had attended the service where moving stories and experiences were shared amongst the group members .
Then it was time to let our hair down with a 1940 ’ s Tea Dance which was a fundraiser for the Mayor ’ s Charity Fund . It was an absolute hit with all the dancers dressed to fit the period and the music genre of that time . We were privileged to be honoured with a visit from Winston Churchill and his wife Clemmy who were great hit .
Not quite finished with D-Day , we then attended a lecture in the Williamson Art Gallery given by the Great Niece of Sandy Irvine who died with George Mallory 100 years ago on Everest . This was the fore runner to unveiling two Blue Plaques on the following day for both Irvine in Park Road South and Mallory in Slatey Road .
Throughout the month , we have visited numerous schools and have been very impressed with them all . We have enjoyed visiting lots of Eco Projects put on by various schools with a view to raising insight and general awareness around environmentally friendly ideas and environmental sustainability . Do you realise that we have more hedgehog friendly schools here on Wirral than the rest of the country put together , all inspired by Wirral ’ s very own Hedgehog Hospital !
Our personal highlight of the past six weeks was our Civic Service held at St Andrews Church in Bebington with Rev . David Vestergaard conducting the Service in collaboration with Rev . Eunice Blackmore of Christ Church in Higher Bebington . We had a lovely service the theme of which was Service to the People of Wirral . It was attended by family , friends , colleagues , as well as the Mayors from Sefton , Knowsley and West Lancs , and the Deputy Lieutenant Billy Hui .
We really are looking forward to the next six weeks .
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