My engagements show we live in a great place

I AM now nearly two months into my mayoral year and it’s been a hectic, enjoyable and heartening first few weeks.

My packed schedule has seen me visit every part of the borough, seeing at first hand the wonderful work our community groups, volunteers, businesses of all sizes, sports clubs, religious organisations and inspiring work to support our vulnerable residents.

Over the last month alone, I have attended over 20 events, performances and memorials, in line with Covid safety rules. I want to touch upon a few of these and how they have showcased the borough at its very best.

My visits have included the children’s champion event at Moss Street Youth Centre, which saw the declarations of results of youth council election. It was a wonderful event, which saw school children from across the borough elect 10-yearold Grace Butterworth from Whittaker Moss Primary School in Norden as children’s champion for 2021/21. Congratulations to Grace.

I was proud to attend the ‘Rochdale in Rainbows presents Pride’ flag raising, the radical kindness public art launch at Bailey Street and a visit to the Pioneers’ Museum for International Co-op Day.

Another high note was dropping in to the Rochdale Folk Festival, watching the Rochdale v Oldham military veterans’ football match and attending a Rochdale British Legion Centenary Service at St Chad’s Parish Church.

What these events underline is the diverse and rich borough we are, where different groups and communities come together, united as one, to make our towns and villages such brilliant places to live and work in.

Over the course of my mayoral year I will be raising funds for many charities that are close to my heart. These include Springhill Hospice, Parkinson’s UK, Petrus Rochdale, Jolly Josh in Middleton and Shopmobility. These varied charities have one common goal; to help support, care and improve life for residents of all ages.

I will be embracing and supporting these charities over the course of the coming month.

Many thanks to them all for agreeing to be official Mayoral charities.

Throughout the year I want to attend as many events as possible, helping to shine a light on everything that is good about our borough.

We have so much to be proud about, so much to celebrate.

As the Mayor for the whole borough, I want to be there to say thank you for the dedicated work that goes on day after day, week after week. I have always been a passionate and dedicated community worker, as well as a strong campaigner of integration and an even stronger voice for equality, social justice and multicultural rights.

It’s those values I want to embrace over the coming months.

As I said on the day of my Mayor making, it will be a privilege to represent the council as Mayor of Rochdale. Along with my wife, Rifit, we are both very much looking forward to the year ahead, as life hopefully continues to safely and cautiously return to some sort of normality.

We will do all we can to raise as much money for my chosen charities as possible. We have made a visible, upbeat start, but there is a lot of hard work ahead, over the year, to ensure the borough is showcased, supported and embraced.

Thanks to everyone for making us so welcome in our roles and I look forward to us working together. Let’s never forget, there is so much more that unites us than will ever divide us.

It is that spirit of hope that I will take into my work, proud and honoured with the trust my fellow councillors and the community have placed with me.