Mary Reid

I'm back in the UK doing mayoral things today.  But when I took on this job I never imagined that I would be opening a bridge!

Admittedly, it is over the Bonesgate stream, but it is splendid for all that.  And it links the two boroughs of Kingston and Epsom & Ewell so, as the Deputy Mayor of the latter said, it is symbolic of our good partnership working. 

The bridge is, in fact, part of a very sympathetic improvement of the section of the Hogsmill from Ruxley Lane to the Bonesgate, turning it into a local nature reserve for all to enjoy. Part of this involved returning the river to its original course to encourage wildlife.

Then on to something completely different.  The Kingston Youth Council challenged the Kingston councillors to a rounders match.  I promised to field a team of ten, but no-one seemed to notice that I had rounded up eleven councillors plus some very useful (ie fit) relations. In spite of our superior numbers the young people won overall (but we won the second innings!)

I'll say nothing more - just look at the pics.

Never attend an Annual General Meeting unless you want to be on the committee!  That happened to me over 20 years ago when I attended the AGM of Kingston WelCare as a church representative. I offered some suggestions, and immediately found myself co-opted on to the executive. 

Thus began a long association with this voluntary organisation that offers support to families.  Ian made WelCare his mayoral charity and enabled them to re-roof their house in Canbury Park Road, where it now offers an extensive range of activities as well as offices for other organisations such as KREC.

The Chair of WelCare, Elva Ainsworth, had contacted me ages ago to ask if I would be the speaker at their AGM. That was before I knew I was going to be invited anyway as Mayor, so I was really pleased to go along with two hats on.  I told them about the impact of 'Every Child Matters' on the provision of services for children and their families, and the key role that the voluntary sector plays in that.

Another organisation that is doing excellent things with young people is Fulham Football Club.  We are very fortunate in having their training ground in the borough at Motspur Park, because we have benefitted from a number of their Community Sports Trust activities.

Some weeks ago I met their football team for youngsters with Downs Syndrome.  This week I was in the House of Commons for the formal launch of the Trust by Richard Caborn, the Sports Minister. He spoke about how the club was harnessing the power of football and the recognition of the Premier League in order to achieve educational goals. 

In Kingston the Positive Futures project on the Cambridge Road Estate has used football as a catalyst for a all kinds of sporting activities, from go-karting to street dancing. The three girls in the picture had taken part, and they spoke very well about what they had gained from the project and explained that they had now been asked to help with a junior club over the summer.

I also took the opportunity to chat with Jim Fitzpatrick, the Minister for London, whom I had met on a number of occasions  (and here and here) when he was Minister for Local Government with responsibility for e-Government.

When I went into Coombe Hill Juniors recently I asked the children what a Mayor does, and the immediate reply was 'Open shops and cut ribbons'.

I told them that it was quite rare to be asked to do that. But I did get a chance to open a shop on Wednesday afternoon.

The new MFI store in Kingston Road, New Malden (near Homebase) is one of three stores in the country that have been launched with completely new branding, store design and a product range that should appeal to a much wider market than before. The layout of the new store is very appealing and I was drooling over some of the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom settings.

MFI kindly made a donation to my charity.

I was standing in the queue for the Ladies at Buckingham Palace when someone looked at the three salmon on my Mayoral badge and asked me that question.

One of the perks that mayors enjoy is being invited to the Queen's Garden Party. So Ian and I took off in RBK1, with my obligatory hat, to park in The Mall and walk through those famous gates into the forecourt of the palace. Then across the courtyard, under the canopy, past a red carpeted staircase and out onto the terrace.

As you may have seen in today's Evening Standard the famous camomile lawn is brown. But that hardly mattered as it was heaving with several thousand guests all looking as though they were attending a wedding. 

The Yeoman of the Guard arrived and stood very stoically under the sun in the full red Beefeater uniform waiting for the Royal party. Eventually the Queen (in yellow), Prince Philip, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex stood on the steps for the National Anthem.

This was followed by a highly organised walkabout. Lots of people were jostling for places at the front in the hope that they would catch the eye of one of the Palace staff and be brought forward for an introduction.

We wandered off to look around the grounds instead. No cameras were allowed inside I'm afraid.

There are three tea tents.  The smallest is the Royal Tea Tent.  Next is the Diplomatic Tea Tent for ambassadors.  Then finally, the Main Tea Tent, for the rest of us, which stretches for about 100 yards along one side of the lawn.  We were served cucumber sandwiches, with no crusts, and tiny chocolate cakes with a royal crest, plus iced coffee and unlimited (good) lemonade.  There was what I can only describe as a feeding frenzy when the icecreams were brought out on trays.  

Even in Buckingham Palace gardens there are not enough ladies' loos, hence the conversations while we were waiting.  The penny dropped, appropriately. "Mayor of Kingston upon Thames, actually. So which Livery Company are you involved in?"

On the hottest day of the year on Wednesday we had a lunch of roast beef and yorkshire pudding. This was the seventh anniversary of the Lunch Club run by Age Concern at Charles Lesser House in Hook, and I remember being there for the very first lunch in 1999. 

The food was just as good today as it was then, so I was only too happy to thank all the volunteers who keep it going throughout the year.

On Friday I also spent a very pleasant time at the summer get-together of the Association of Retired Council Officers.  Between them they had clocked up hundreds of years of service to the Royal Borough, and I thanked them for all they had done for the citizens of Kingston.

I have been busy for the last three days, but not out and about in the usual way. Internal meetings and a ward event have taken up some of my time.

I had an e-democracy board meeting yesterday in Lichfield and rather rashly decided to drive there and back. In fact, it did mean that I arrived cool - the car's aircon beating a cross-London Tube journey any day. But my back has been complaining all day today, as it had not fully recovered from the problems of a couple of weeks ago.

This evening we held a reception in honour of the e2e4e team, who have raised over £11,000 for earthquake relief in Pakistan. 

Some of the riders - thanks to Shelia Griffin for the photo

That was followed by Full Council. Although I have chaired Council before this was the first full business meeting, and I was expecting debates on a number of items.  Most Council committees are relatively informal, and the general public can contribute to the discussion. Full Council is the only opportunity for all 48 councillors to meet and debate, so the procedures are pretty formal, and the public can only contribute if they bring a petition or delegation. I was slightly nervous about conducting such a formal meeting, knowing that I was being scrutinised by a number of very experienced councillors, but apart from one small error it seemed to go smoothly.

Full Council feels more like a parliamentary debate than a committee, and I'm always fascinated to see how personalities are revealed, especially when people are talking on issues that they are passionate about.

The press was particularly interested in the debate about the funding of the fitout of Kingston Theatre, and this covered a lot of ground - there was passion but it was tempered by rational explanation. The Council agreed to provide the capital if necessary, although talks with a bank about a low-interest loan are currently underway. The final decision will be made at Executive next week.

The Mayor and Consort as you have never seen them before - with a juggling friend.

Summer Saturdays are always busy.  This one started with the Family Funday on King Edwards Recreation Ground at Hook.  Free bouncy castles and entertainment, plus stalls and amusements brought out good numbers throughout the day.

The initial idea for the event came from us, the local councillors, but it was Surbiton Rotary who made it happen.  Many, many thanks to them for all the work they put in.

Then on to a Sports Day organised by the Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation at Coombe Boys. 

The tug-of-war between young women and their elders! The young ones won. 

About 100 children from south west London enjoyed a day of competitions and races, and I gave out the certificates at the end.  The organisers made sure that each child got at least one certificate!

Then a real treat in the evening - a concert of summer music by the Thames Philharmonic Choir under their conductor, John Bate.  They were very fortunate to have Kathryn Harries as soloist. I do remember hearing her sing with Surbiton Oratorio Society (now Kingston Choral Society) back in the 70s. Her operatic career later took off spectacularly, but she has kept her links with Kingston.  She gave us a generous and magical performance, from dramatic Verdi arias to Gershwin swing.

Amazingly, Kathryn Harries has just completed a 600 mile Opera Walk, raising funds for the English National Opera and Welsh National Opera Benevolent Funds.  In spite of walking 20 miles or so each day she gave concerts en route.

Coombe Hill Infants has achieved Healthy School status, and here are some of the children celebrating the award very cheerfully at an event yesterday. On the right is the colourful display from St Luke's Primary.

These two schools were joined by Our Lady Immaculate Primary, St Mary's Primary, King Athelstan Primary and Dysart School.  Lovelace Primary was also rewarded but unable to attend the ceremony at Hampton Hill Playhouse.

We were in the Borough of Richmond because Kingston and Richmond have been jointly running a Healthy Schools programme for five years.  Over 60% of the schools have so far been given the Healthy School award, which they can only achieved if they have met targets that they agree with parents, pupils and staff.  

The children certainly knew all about the importance of healthy lifestyles.  They told us about the food they had prepared and tried out (including sushi, salads and lots of varieties of fruit), the anti-bullying support they give to each other, keeping safe in the sun, and they demonstrated dance and other forms of exercise.

Two Mayors ... me with Our Lady Immaculate then the Mayor of Richmond with some of the children from his borough.

Democratic Services Officers manage all the Council meetings and committees. They are experts on procedure and on constitutional issues and they provide invaluable support to councillors. And yet they often, sadly, get left out of the e-democracy networks, which seem to be dominated by ICT people and consultation officers.

So I was really pleased to be asked to run a workshop yesterday about e-democracy tools for a conference of Democratic Support Officers, alongside Andrew Bessant, who is the Head of Democratic Services and Partnerships at Kingston. 

Andrew kicked off by talking about a number of initiatives in Kingston - e-petitions, YoungLivin, online surgeries for young people, e-Publish and blogging. I then put it in a national context and explained the wide range of tools explored by the National Project for Local e-Democracy (now being nurtured by the International Centre).

It was e-petitions which generated the most discussion.  We pointed out that the system can track paper petitions as well as online ones.  We also try to avoid making e-petitions any more complicated or bureaucratic than the paper versions.  Relevant petitions ensure that an item is placed on a Council agenda. The proposers can then speak on behalf of their campaign. 

So far, Kingston has received 23 e-petitions on subjects as diverse as mobile phone masts, resurfacing roads and pavements, bus services and provision for young people.

Our great cathedrals are run not by Bishops, as many imagine, but by their Deans.  So given the historic and cultural significance of St Paul's Cathedral, the person in charge has to have very special qualities.  Yesterday evening I was honoured to represent Kingston at the farewell service for the highly respected Very Rev'd Dr John Moses as Dean of St Paul's.

It was one of those splendid occasions that combined processions, robes, stunning music and ceremony with a real insight into the personalities involved. The Duchess of Gloucester attended, as did Lady Thatcher.

'You Matter' is a handbook for parents and young people. So far, so good.  But what makes this one different is that it is two handbooks in one.  Starting from one cover you can read through the parents section, then turn it upside down and you can read the young people's section from the other end.

Both sections cover the same topics, but presented in language and with graphics to match the audience. 'Under pressure' deals with such topics as body image and eating disorders, self-harm, stress, peer pressure. 'Choices' includes pages on truancy, drug, substances and smoking, drinking, sex and relationships, careers education. 'You/They are not alone' deals with domestic abuse, bullying and other dangers.

Of course, both young people and parents can sneak a look at the other half and get some insight to how each feels about the topics.

I attended the launch of 'You Matter' a couple of weeks ago but waited until it was available online before blogging about it. 

Copies are being distributed through schools or you can email the Council to ask for a copy.

One of the things I discovered when I took on this role is that the Mayor is the President or Patron of a good number of organisations in the Borough. So I do get invited to chair or speak at several AGMs. 

Yesterday evening it was the turn of Global Arts Kingston, who ran the very successful Global Arts Bazaar a couple of weeks ago.  It was encouraging to learn about the range of activities and performances that they have been promoting and their plans for the future.

Some weeks ago I chaired the AGM for the Pensioners Forum, and today they kindly invited me to their summer lunch.  Many of them have grandchildren, and even great grandchildren, so they asked me to tell them about my ideas for my charity.  I'll be blogging about this in more detail shortly, but it will offer opportunities for young people to bid for funds for their own projects. 

Then this evening I gave out certificates to dozens of people who had completed courses in childcare and playwork. The event was organised by the RBK's Early Years and Childcare Service in partnership with the educational providers (Kingston and Merton Colleges, Kingston University and the North Kingston Centre). The qualifications ranged from introductory certificates right through to university degrees. 

Today the care of children in their early years is recognised as an important discipline in its own right. Careers have been opening up for many years, partly because of the increased demand for pre-school childcare.  In the future, we are building six new children's centres in Kingston and developing extended schools, and these will require professional leadership from people well qualified and experienced in early years provision. It was good to meet and congratulate so many people who are working and studying in this field.

20,000 young people take part in the London Youth Games, competing in over 40 sports, making it the biggest festival of sport for young people in Europe. This is a bustling and exciting event, inspired by a former Mayor of Kingston, Eileen Gray OBE, and I was delighted to meet up with her again this year.

So it is congratulations to all those who represented Kingston at the Games this year. Here is a tiny sample of what Team Kingston was up to at Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Canoe slalom

Indoor rowing - competing on the rowing machines

Kingston's hockey team

I haven't heard the final results but I know Kingston was heading for medals, both team and individual, in a number of events.

The e2e4e cyclists reached John O'Groats yesterday - on schedule and all in good health.  Many, many congratulations!

Many thanks to the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Sheila Griffin, for carrying out all the engagements today.

I was allowed a day off to attend a family wedding.

So it's love and very best wishes to Ruth and Alistair as they start married life together.

Two oddly dissonant events.  Yesterday I attended a terrific performance of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, presented by the Kingston Music and Arts Service.  The full strength of the Kingston Youth Concert Band gave a thrilling interpretation in Leatherhead Theatre.

H G Wells' tale of survival in the face of an external threat in the Home Counties and London seemed to be uncomfortably placed before and on 7th July. The central moment in the musical is the conflict between Parson Nathaniel and his wife Beth.  He believes that the Martians are the devil whilst she is the voice of reason.

So to this evening's service at New Malden Methodist - A Time of Remembering.  It was simple service of music and meditations, drawing on Islamic, Buddhist and Christian traditions.

An extract from the Buddhist reading:

May our eyes remain open even in the face of tragedy.
May we not become disheartened.
May we find in the dissolution of our apathy and denial the cup of the broken heart.
May we discover the gift of the fire burning in the inner chamber of our being - burning great and bright enough to transform any poison.
May we offer the power of our sorrow to the service of something greater than ourselves

Chemmy Alcott, British champion and Olympic skier, is the perfect role model for pupils at Surbiton High. She managed to achieve four A grades at A Level whilst in serious training, and remains a charming and vivacious woman.

So it was no surprise that she was asked to open the new school buildings in Surbiton Crescent on Tuesday. The new building is a graceful addition to the townscape and has been sympathetically designed to complement the other parts of the school and neighbouring houses.

The building was dedicated by Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, seen here in conversation with the Head, Jennifer Longshurst (left) and a local resident.

In the evening, Tolworth Girls School held its Summer Art Exhibition. For many years I have been bowled over by the creative energy at Tolworth, where textiles have always been a strength. This spills over into all the arts and this has been recognised with the award of Artsmark Gold Status by Arts Council England.

Some of the impressive work in the exhibition

The school also used the occasion to launch its new website. Amongst other innovations, this has subject showcases featuring audio and video clips of performances.

I've been struggling with a bad back all week, which makes it difficult for me to sit down at a computer for any length of time.  So I'll catch up on the blogging tomorrow, I hope.

But those amazing guys doing the e2e4e cycle ride have made it into Scotland - in fact they have got as far as beautiful Loch Lomond. Last time I checked out their blog there was a rather interesting photo of someone having acupuncture....

Over twenty years ago I remember going along to the  primary schools' Folk Dance Festival to watch my own sons taking part.  The event has thrived and grown since then. It was great seeing so many children dancing and enjoying themselves yesterday.

Several schools had worked on quite challenging maypole dances as well. I recalled taking part in a maypole dance when I was a child, and getting into trouble for making a mistake and messing up the pattern.  The teachers yesterday were much more encouraging - and forgiving.

On Sunday afternoon I had represented Kingston at the Civic Service for the Mayor of Elmbridge, Cllr Victor Eldridge. It was hot, but he had bravely turned up in his robes.

Then yesterday evening I was invited, in my own right, to a reception hosted by The Speaker of the House of Commons in Speaker's House. This has a stunning suite of rooms, all decorated in the Victorian Gothic style that works so well throughout the Palace of Westminster. The final room contains a magnificent four poster bed, which is where the monarch is supposed to sleep the night before a coronation.

The reception was held by the Hansard Society, and I have been involved in a number of e-democracy projects with them. It was good to meet up with several of the movers and shakers in democratic participation.

Saturday started hot, and then got hotter.

In the morning we welcomed, with due ceremony, new British Citizens as they took their oath of allegiance.  This is always a memorable occasion, and lots of photos are taken in and around the Guildhall.

The Deputy Mayor and I wore our mayoral robes, which was rather like wearing a thick fur coat in a sauna. Then a quick cool-down and change before driving over to New Malden to join in several events at the start of the Malden Fortnight.

First, to the extensive garden of the Fountain pub for the Korean Food Festival. I really enjoyed myself here. I love the food and was in my element trying out all kinds of different dishes from the various stalls provided by local restaurants.

The Korean community in Kingston (about 15,000) and just over the border in Merton (5,000) are the largest group outside South Korea itself. This will be the first of many events that I hope to share with them, enjoying their music, dancing and exquisite clothes - as well as the food, of course.

Today we watched a Taekwondo demonstration by the members of the local club.

Then on to the High Street to view - and judge - the parade on the theme of "Around the World in 14 days". It was good to see so many groups taking part this year, in colourful costumes, although the traditional float on a lorry has been largely replaced by walking groups.

The parade begins

A Korean wedding couple in the parade

Our last call was to the Malden and Coombe Horticultural Society's Summer Show.  This club is very active with around 400 members, and I was impressed by the quality of the flowers and vegetables on show. We arrived earlier than planned so that the organisers could fit in the prize-giving before the World Cup match began.

I will end with a picture of the Society's President, Dr Jeff Reardon, with his superb prizewinning sweetpeas.

The firefighters in these photos taken yesterday are not professionals at all. They were young people who had just completed a one week course at New Malden Fire Station as part of the LIFE (Local Intervention Fire Education) project.

The idea is to give a real sense of achievement to young people who need to find direction and purpose in their lives. 

The scheme is run all over London, and Kingston works with Merton and Sutton to provide joint courses several times a year.

I was full of admiration for the participants who had overcome fear or lack of self-confidence and had built real teams over the week.

The instructors awarded certificates to each of those who had completed the course, and publicly praised each one for the personal qualities they had displayed.

In the evening we had a delightful time at the opening of the Kingston Contemporary Open Art Exhibition at the Stanley Picker Gallery.  I have loved this venue ever since it was opened, and its spaces were used very effectively to display the art works, all of which were created by Kingston artists in the last two years.

This show is also billed as an exhibition of affordable art, and the pieces certainly priced at a level that compares well with the reproductions you can buy in the department stores. How much better to own an original piece, knowing that it is encouraging living artists to carry on exploring, experimenting and creating.

The judges announced Lizzie Brewer as the 2007 Spotlight Artist, which means that she will be able to put on a mini exhibition in next year's show. 

This picture shows the painter Jason Bowyer (left) who joined the judging panel, talking with with David Falkner, Director of the gallery.