Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole 2006/07

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, opened the new ice rink at the refurbished Central Park, which has replaced the old Cygnet Café.

The new rink is operated by Adrian Forte, who is also building the new restaurant in Poole Park, and sponsored by Barclays Bank. The layout was designed by Adrian and his own team and incorporates real ice in preference to a synthetic surface, and is intended as a family entertainment facility rather than for serious ice skating. The new ice rink is already very busy and looks set to become a major attraction, revitalising the east end of the Park.

The Mayor was greeted by Adrian and his business partner Fidel, with Poole Council's Head of Leisure Services Clive Smith, and Friends of Poole Park stalwarts Bob Lister and Terry Smith. Having inspected the new rink and given her strong support in an opening speech, the Mayor also tried out the refurbished snack bar, chatting to Adrian's family as well as guests at the opening, which included the Mayor's colleagues Cllrs Peter Adams and Katie Hives.

Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole, said "In view of my recent ‘break', it wasn't possible for me to venture on to the ice, although I will be back as soon as my leg is fixed. I was able to rise to the occasion and stand with the aid of, dare I admit it, a ‘Zimmer' frame for some all important photos with the children who were there and were running rings around the adults in skating skills!"

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with Terry Smith, FoPP; Clive Smith, Head of Leisure Services; Bob Lister, FoPP; Fidel and Adrian, owners of the new ice rink.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, meets some of the skaters at the opening of the new ice rink.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with lots of enthusiastic skaters at the opening of the new ice rink.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, opened the ‘Help, I'm a Carer' day at Longfleet Baptist Church in Poole, led by Val Mitchell of Poole Council's Carers Services, and facilitated by the Help and Care charity.

The day is aimed at people who have recently taken on caring for someone who is ill or disabled, and is to advise them on what they need to know, covering such subjects as where to get further training, practical help such as home maintenance and transport, financial help such as benefits and discounts, respite such as sitters, day care and short breaks, and where to get more information such as help lines and carers' networks. The Mayor gave a speech of encouragement to open the day, and chatted with some of the attendees before the event began.

Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole, said "I wanted to lighten the atmosphere a little, starting with a joke that I thought this was the ‘Help, I Need a Carer Day'.  Seriously, I am very fortunate to be surrounded by so many generous carers, from my husband and family who bear the brunt of my temporary disability, my chauffeurs who are getting me to and from engagements with ease and dignity, and my secretary, friends and supporters who are doing everything possible to help me through a very difficult, painful and frustrating time."

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with Val Mitchell of Poole Council's Carers Services at the ‘Help, I'm a Carer Day'.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, paid a surprise visit to the home of Cllr Ray Smith, to thank him for his efforts for her Mayor's Charity Appeal while she was in hospital.

Unfortunately Cllr Smith was out at a meeting at the time, but his wife Jean made the Mayor welcome and was delighted to receive a bottle of very good Scotch for Ray and a bouquet of flowers for herself.

Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole, said "Ray obviously isn't a heavy drinker, but I know he loves a really good Scotch and this one is a collector's item. Ray has been brilliant in single-handedly arranging and running  many other fund raising events for the Mayor's Charity and countless other organisations, the Dogs' Dinner held whilst I was in hospital raised a stunning £1100 for my charities and I cannot thank him enough for his unconditional generosity of heart and spirit."

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, drops in unexpectedly on Mrs Jean Smith with a couple of thank you gifts.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, celebrated the 32^nd birthday party of  Mr Simon Shave, a member of Poole Forum, at the Barnabas Project Centre, Parkstone.

On her first engagement since her accident, the Mayor, currently confined to a wheelchair, blended in well with the partygoers, many of whom were also in wheelchairs. Greeted by Simon himself, a lifetime wheelchair user, the Mayor was presented with a beautiful get well bunch of flowers. The Mayor found many of her old friends from Poole Forum at the party and enjoyed an animated conversation with them and their carers before taking the microphone to congratulate Simon and present him with a birthday gift. Simon was also presented with a slightly risqué 32^nd birthday cake (it was at least 34C!!), which, with assistance from the Mayor, he cut into enthusiastically to share with everybody. The Mayor later made a first venture into disco dancing in a wheelchair, which proved to be very much an acquired art!!

Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole, said "Some 24 hours out of hospital it was an honour and a pleasure to be counted amongst Simon's birthday guests. Simon and many others like him are such superb ambassadors for those with disability, frankly they never make a fuss, are always cheerful and animated and see the good in life and accept that they have limitations but live their lives to their absolute limit. I have chosen to use my long confinement to a wheelchair as a training mechanism for those who are permanently wheelchair bound, I have started a database of Disability Discrimination Act 1995 infringements in and around Poole and hope to use it as a working brief to improve access in Poole for the future".

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with Mr Simon Shave and Poole Forum Coordinator Mrs Karen Rampton at Simon's birthday party.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with two of the carers at Simon's birthday party at the Barnabas Project Centre.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, shares one of her outrageous jokes with Simon, Karen and one of the guests at Simon's birthday party.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with Simon and his birthday cake - judge the measurement for yourself!

The Mayor of Poole, accompanied by her husband and Consort, Mr David Butt, left hospital after having her broken leg repaired, in a wheelchair kindly supplied by the local Red Cross.

During the Mayor's sojourn in Poole Hospital, it gradually emerged that her leg had been broken in no less than six places, the damage aggravated by her long-term affliction of fibromyalgia, which among other effects causes the bones to be weakened. In a painful four hour operation, rods were inserted in her tibia and fibia and both bones pinned, plus a further 'Frankensteinian' style pin from one ankle bone straight through to the other. A temporary cast has been put on her leg but this will be replaced as the healing process takes place. The Mayor now faces at least four weeks in a wheelchair and up to six weeks before she can begin to bear any weight on the multi-fractured  leg again.  However, ever resourceful she plans to use her unusual situation to explore how those who are permanently wheelchair-bound deal with day to day mobility and use her findings to promote and inform the Council on disabled access in and around Poole.

Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole, said "Sympathy vote wise the bruising and swelling of my leg is very impressive but unfortunately it is as painful as it looks.  Trust me to well and truly 'break my leg' however look out for me speeding (in wheelchair terms) down a corridor near you as I am back to work on Monday 26^th Feb, I may technically be a little slower but my drive and enthusiasm is still 110% With regard to difficulties experienced by wheelchair users I intend to test compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to the limit!"

The Mayor of Poole, in her bed at Poole Hospital the evening before leaving to go home