johnfletcher

On the last Saturday morning of her term of office, the Mayoress held the by-now traditional coffee morning in Stockton Parish Hall in aid of the current Mayor's charities, the RNLI and the Great North Air Ambulance.

Feeling a little guilty that I hadn't organised our political group to run a stall, I bought a lot of tombola tickets.  Willing young ladies helped me to count them out and then unfold them.  To my embarrassment, I won some dozen prizes.  Some will, be useful for us; I'll keep the rest to start a "float" of prizes for my mayoral year.  A fellow-councillor on the stall told me that I'd spent the same amount last year and won nothing.  Thank goodness I didn't spend less!

Guessing the doll's name, I chose that of my grandson's sweetheart from nursery.  You've guessed - I won the doll!  Cllr Dick Cains took two photos of me with it - the one with the Mayor is here; I won't publish the other, as next to my head are the words "I am the way, the truth..." (a poster on the wall of the church hall)!

After a dental appointment which left me speaking a little one-sided (a mayor is supposed to be fair to all sides!), I had a meeting with the outgoing Mayor, the Director of Law & Democracy, and three of his staff to discuss the procedures and legalities at the Annual Council Meeting.

As this is also the Mayoral Installation and quite a spectacle, with robes and mother-of-the-bride hats, we do like to stage-manage it, with speakers lined up and stage directions.  However, it is also an Annual Meeting, required by statute, at which the full Council elect not only the new Mayor & Deputy Mayor, but also Cabinet Members, Members of committees, their chairmen and vice-chairmen and a host of other office-holders.  With 6 political parties on the Council, none with overall control, it is unlikely that they will all agree on all appointments, so the new Mayor may have to preside over several votes.  As there are rules about political proportionality on most committees and on what other offices Cabinet Members cannot hold, this may not be as simple as it all sounds.  As the likely next Mayor, it is important that I am prepared for most possible permutations.  the meeting was also a chance for Officers to check their draft paperwork.

In the middle of this, I was asked to name which grandchild would present which floral arrangement s to the principal ladies.  I hope I've got it right!

Now to write my speech...

Although I haven't made any blog entries since 4th March, I have nevertheless been mayorally (is there such an adverb?) busy.  With the Annual Council Meeting due in nine days' time, the countdown has started and is wonderfully concentrating the mind!

Without recording them all on my blog at the time, I've been having lots of meetings and e-mails with people who will be able to help me to be Mayor and whom, I hope, I can help.  These have included people as diverse as the man in charge of the Tees Barrage, the Council's Corporate Director of Development & Neighbourhood Services (G & S fans will know what I mean by thinking of him the "Lord High Everything Else") and young people who have agreed to play as a string quartet at my inauguration.  Suffice to say, as a result of my discussions, I have decided what will be my mayoral charities (and informed them) and what will be the themes of my mayoralty.  All will be revealed in my acceptance speech, which I have yet to write.

I have, however, made the first important decision of my future mayoralty - the choice of menu for the lunch after my inauguration!

I shall always be indebted to my wife, Suzanne, for on-the-job training when she was Mayor last year.  I am also indebted to her for "persuading" me that I need new shirts, suit, ties, shoes, etc. for my mayoral year.  I am also indebted to my credit card providers until I pay their next bill.....

Meanwhile, a wintry Easter weekend has given us the opportunity to do quite a bit of tidying up, clearing out and general preparation at home to receive our guests next week.  Our son, his wife and our grandchildren from York will stay with her parents (fortunately, on the next estate); Suzanne's sister and her husband, with their son and daughter and his girl friend (whom we shall meet for the first time) will stay here.  I'm sure we shall manage - but we've four bedrooms but only one bathroom....

A famous visitor to Queen's Campus of Durham University (which is situated in Thornaby, part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, consisting of two colleges, John Snow and George Stephenson)!  Suzanne and I once again met the Chancellor, the author Dr Bill Bryson.  She and I had been invited to lunch in addition to the Mayor & Mayoress.  It was good to meet Bill again (she brought him to Stockton town centre when she was Mayor) and to talk to him and senior and junior members of the two colleges about what Town and Gown could do together. 

After an excellent buffet lunch, a few of us oldies and a group of students set off in a coach to show Bill our nearby countryside from the top of Roseberry Topping.  This involved a stiff climb in the cold wind from the car park to the summit.  It was interesting to note that while most students strode ahead, a few seemed out of their depth (or should I say "height"?) and made me wonder if we ought to have done a risk assessment for hypothermia!  No injuries, I'm pleased to say!  Some students even said that this should be an annual event!

At the top we were able to show Bill and students from afar the view of Teesside to the north and the N York Moors to the south, with the Pennines a dark smudge in the west and the North Sea to the north-east.  John Snow College students carried to the top their mascot (a "Snow man") and their banner, which they even managed to unfurl in the wind.  (Suzanne and I are members of the Senior Common Room.)

Surrounded by students, L to R, "Snow Man", Bill Bryson & the Principal of John Snow Coll. (Prof. Martyn Evans) 

As Bill had a few minutes to spare on our return, we adjourned to a pub nearby for a chat with the students.

In all, a very pleasant afternoon in very pleasant company.