Coun Ann Kenyon

Mayor of Rossendale

IN the first visit of the past month, I visited Burnley College & Burnley Mechanics to take part in the Annual UCLAN Graduation Ceremony.

It was wonderful to meet the students, their friends and families, and academic staff and join them in celebrating their achievements.

At the beginning of October I also attended the Annual Higher Education Awards Evening for students of Accrington & Rossendale College. The event showcased the highlights of Higher Education at the college over the past twelve months and acknowledged the hard work and efforts of students, along with the support from their tutors, in achieving their goals.

These two events displayed the fantastic higher education provision we have within the local area and the talent and commitment of young people throughout the valley and the wider area of Lancashire. On Saturday, October 13 I attended the ‘One Day in Your Life’ Musical Concert organised by Dementia Friendly Rossendale. The concert was held at Sat Mary’s Church and had fantastic performances from Ross Valley Sounds, Haslingden High School Choir and singer, Kyle Harrison, performing songs from various eras.

Dementia Friendly Rossendale is one of my chosen Mayoral Charities for 2018/19 and it was wonderful for me to be able to support them by attending this concert and to witness the valuable support they are offering to the community.

Throughout this past month I have also attended a number of events that have been organised by community groups/ associations within the valley, such as; VIC Open Day, Rotary Club Annual Charter Night and a Singalong Harvest Celebration at Longholme Methodist Church. It is heart-warming to see so many residents of Rossendale willing to give up their time to organise these events, which help to raise money and offer support to people who need it the most.

Earlier this month I had the honour of attending the Duke of Lancaster Annual Remembrance Service at Warrington Town Hall. The event was hosted by Brigadier Peter Rafferty MBE and Mayor of Warrington, Cllr Karen Mundry, and was to commemorate the fallen of The Duke of Lancaster Regiment and its antecedent regiments. This was a very poignant event and the first of many remembrance events that I will be attending within the coming weeks.

There will also be a number of remembrance events throughout Rossendale from November 9-11, details of these can be found on the council website.