W L
THE MAYOR ' S MONTHLY
by The Mayor of Wirral , Jeff Green
The team at Wirral Life have invited me to write a few words about what I have been up to over the past month , so I ’ m delighted to share some of the highlights with you .
While September ’ s diary was dominated by events linked to the passing of our late Queen , October saw a return to a much more familiar mix of Council meetings , community events and civic engagements . There were far too many to mention them all , but I hope this snapshot will provide a flavour of the amazing things going on across our borough .
An early highlight was a visit to Birkenhead Town Hall on 3 October by representatives from the Peruvian Embassy . Their visit was to mark the anniversary of the historic Battle of Angamos and the establishment of their Navy . The ties of friendship between Birkenhead and Peru are based on the vessel ‘ Huascar ’, which was built by the Laird Brother ’ s shipyard and captained by Peru ’ s national hero , Grand Admiral Grau Seminario .
The following day I had the honour of welcoming the UK ’ s newest citizens at a special ceremony at Wallasey Town Hall . Citizenship ceremonies are the culmination of a lengthy application process and they never fail to move me as it is wonderful to be a part of a major milestone in the participants ’ lives and learn a little about their life stories .
One of many planned fundraising events for my Mayoral year took place on 7 October when I hosted the annual Mayor ’ s Ball . More than 200 guests joined me and the Mayoress , Carol , at the Thornton Hall Hotel for a wonderful evening which raised a considerable amount for the Mayor ’ s Charity Fund . The Wirral Sports Awards returned on 14 October after covid restrictions forced the awards event to be cancelled for the last two years . Around 400 athletes , coaches and volunteers came together at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight to recognise and celebrate some of the amazing local talent . As well as inspiring everyone there , I was really impressed to learn that the event ’ s proceeds contribute to bursaries for local young sportspeople .
I was delighted to present more awards a few days later , this time at Hoylake Social Club for the annual Wirral Allotment Society prizegiving . Allotmenteering has so many benefits , including for the environment and for the physical and mental wellbeing of those
taking part , so it was great to hear that the activity is thriving right across the peninsula . Perhaps the most glittering engagement of my year so far took place on 20 October , when I attended the launch of ‘ Pure Brilliance : The Boodles Story ’ at the beautiful Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight . The exhibition tells the story of the family business over its 200 year history . It ’ s always worth a visit to the Lady Lever , and the current display of stunning jewellery gives another reason to call in before the exhibition closes on 5 March 2023 .
On 25 October our new King asked Rishi Sunak – a Hindu man of Indian heritage – to form a government , which I thought was a lovely coincidence given that people in Wirral and around the world were celebrating the Hindu festival Diwali . It was wonderful to join the celebrations – also known as the Festival of Lights - at Wirral Multicultural Centre in Birkenhead .
Later that day I attended the launch event for Wirral ’ s newest visitor attraction - Eureka ! Science & Discovery . Based next at the Seacombe Ferry Terminal , I had a fantastic time trying out the interactive exhibits and meeting lots of young families from the local neighbourhood . The centre opens to the public on 11 November and is an entertaining and hugely engaging way to learn how Science , Technology , Engineering , Arts & Mathematics ( STEAM ) influence and shape all our lives .
The end of October also saw the first events linked to Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday . On the 28th I was honoured to be invited to the Royal Naval Association Club in Wallasey to join them for the launch of their Poppy Appeal , followed by a trip to the magnificent war memorial in Port Sunlight the following day to help launch the Royal British Legion Riders Poppy Appeal . The memorial was commissioned in 1916 by Lord Leverhulme is one of the largest outside London and is always worth a visit , but especially at this time of year .
I am so grateful to all the organisations that have hosted the Mayoress any myself and look forward to visiting many more over the next six months . If you do see us out and about , please come and say hello !
Cllr . Jeff Green , Mayor of Wirral
10 wirrallife . com