Mayor reveals the chosen charities close to her heart

SUPPORT GROUPS TO BENEFIT

HULL’S New Lord Mayor has announced the two charities she will support during her civic year and shared a personal tragedy.

Councillor Christine Randall was officially installed as Lord Mayor and Admiral of the Humber at a ceremony at the Guildhall. Her consort will be her husband Chris, who is also a councillor.

She said: “I will do my utmost to honour the trust that has been put in me as I become Hull’s First Citizen and an ambassador for the city of Kingston upon Hull.”

Her chosen charities will be Hull Charterhouse and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Benevolent Fund.

She said both charities were “dear to the hearts” of both her and her husband, a former soldier with the REME. “Chris and I know personally the help they can give because, four decades ago, while serving in Germany, we lost part of our family.

“There we were in a foreign country with no family close. We all want our parents when we are suffering that sort of bereavement and we just wanted to get back home, but we were torn because we wanted our child to come back home too.

“This charity took that worry and made sure our wishes happened, not only by making all the arrangements but paying for them too.

“For us, it was support at a time of need and is something we have never forgotten so I would like to give a little back to support others who need that help and support now and so the charity is able to do all they do for members of the REME family.”

Cllr Randall said the council had enjoyed a long association with the Charterhouse charity on which she has previously served as a trustee.

She said: “For many, Charterhouse is an architectural jewel close to the river but for those who really know it, it is home. For centuries it has provided accommodation for those over 60 and in need of support, living in a Christian community.

“It was demolished during the Civil War when it was outside of the city walls and was razed to the ground so the Royalists couldn’t use it as a base.

“During the Second World War it was damaged by bombs as was much of the city but time and again it has been rebuilt and continues to do what it is there to be – a home for those who need one and to pray for its benefactor Michael de la Pole.

“There are times when residents have little in the way of furniture, as many move there from furnished accommodation, so the family that is Charterhouse rally around and always manage to find enough to make a new flat a home.”

She said Canon Paul Greenwell, the current master at Charterhouse, had also agreed to be her chaplain for the coming year., and thanked her predecessor Councillor Lynn Petrini for her work as Lord Mayor during the second half of the Covid pandemic.

As Lord Mayor, Cllr Petrini raised £12,106 for her two nominated charities – Hull Help for Refugees and City of Hull Street Angels, with the latter prioritising using some of the funding to buy a new defibrillator.

She said: “I would like to thank all the members of the charity committee for their hard work in helping to raise the money.”