Sharon Ball

On Tuesday 29^th   April I awarded four more 40 year awards two each to Rotorks and two to Mowbray Woodwards Solicitors  and they were Mr Geoff Beeho 40+ and Mr Paul Kennedy 40+ years from Rotork Controls where we also Goodbye to the chief executive Mr Bill Whiteley who has been there in the firm for 30 years Mr Peter France takes over from May 2nd after the annual meeting and Mr Guy Woodward 46 years and Mr Max Woodward 44 years at Mowbray Woodwards in Bath.

As well of 40 years Badge we still give the 50 year Badge.

Annual Special Constables Event

Although my Birthday I still enjoyed meeting the Special Constables And I was to go around and say hello and I also asked some questions they have served our community over many years they are an extended bit of our police force.

Some are recognised for doing 10 years of service although some have done more.

Well done to all of them.

Monday 28^th April

At 2.30 I was presenting three 40 year awards the first was to Mr Robert Copp of Horstmans Defence Systems and also wished him Happy Birthday for the 30^th April, he had done 40+yrs, Mr John Gregory from Sainsbury's who has done 40+ and then Mr Anthony Nash Mogers Solicitors who has done 44years and it gave me great pleasure to present them as Mayor I think it is important to recognise that people do work in Bath for many years at a time as long as the firm stays in Bath we have lost so much industry in Bath. Although there must be more Solicitors, Doctors, Teachers, Cleaners, Receptionists that have been working for 40 or more years in their jobs in Bath. We really do enjoy presenting Bath's hard workers.                                                       

I thought that you might like to know about a series of free lunchtime lectures, organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council, take place at the Guildhall during Museums and Galleries month in May. All three talks are linked to the current exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery, ‘Bath As It Might Have Been', which continues until 1 June.

The first in the series on Tuesday 6 May, entitled ‘Is Bath an industrial city?' is presented by Angus Buchanan, Emeritus Professor at the University of Bath who is a specialist in the heritage of industry.

The following week on Tuesday 13 May, Christopher Pound an architect and planning consultant to the Government who specialises in World Heritage matters will present a talk on ‘Bath as a World Heritage site'.

The final talk on Tuesday 20 May, given by Stuart Burroughs, Curator of the Museum of Bath at Work, relates to the post-war ‘Buchanan tunnel', the plans for which are on show in the Victoria Art Gallery exhibition.
 
Refreshments will be sold at each of the events from 12.45pm. The talks run from 1.10pm to 1.45pm, allowing plenty of time for people to come along in their lunch hour.

For more information on talks and events organised by Heritage Services, visit the website www.bathnes.gov.uk/heritageevents.

For more information on the exhibition, ‘Bath As It Might Have Been', visit http://www.victoriagal.org.uk/

Are you looking for some where to take the kinds on the may bank holiday weekend if so can I recommend that that you take a look at the Bath Spring Flower show. I can assure you that it is a day that you will remember.

From 3-5 May Bath's Royal Victoria Park hosts the 22nd annual Bath Spring Flower Show. The show is the largest regular event organised by the Council for residents and visitors.

Apart from the glorious flowers and plants to admire, the Show offers a friendly, welcoming day out for all the family with an entire marquee dedicated to children's activities, animals to stroke, competitions marquee, stalls, refreshments, music and entertainment, lectures by garden experts, floral displays and much more.

The Main Floral Marquee is always packed with stunning exhibits from plantsmen and women from across the country showing perfect blooms in pristine condition, but also offering plants for sale or to order and they are always willing to dispense helpful advice and new ideas. 

Highlights always include truly inspirational displays of spring flowering bulbs, fuchsias, clematis and violas, alongside more unusual Japanese maples and bonsai trees, to name but a few specimens.

It's a Bank Holiday treat for all the family - especially as the kids go free, and there's easy parking nearby.            

Saturday 3, Sunday 4 and Bank Holiday Monday 5 May 2008
Royal Victoria Park, Bath

Adults £7.50, Senior Citizens,
unaccompanied children and concessions £5,
Accompanied children under 16 - FREE.  Group Discounts available. 

Do you want to do your bit for the environment, if yes then why don't you follow the advice below and start your own home composting?

You could help stop of your household and garden waste from going to landfill by composting at home.

Since 2006 the Council has been offering low cost compost bins to residents in partnership with national Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign.

For 2008 the Council is offering up to two compost bins per household with free home delivery. The bins on offer are:

• Compost Converter (220 litre) at £17
• Compost Converter (330 litre) at £20
• Komp (250 litre) at £40

You can order online at www.recyclenow.com/compost or contact the home compost order line on 0845 077 0757 (calls charged at local rate).

I thought that you might find the item below of interest particularly for the younger ones I mean the Adults who are young at heart.

On Saturday 17 May Bath & North East Somerset's Fashion Museum at the Assembly Rooms is opening its doors to celebrate the Museums at Night Weekend with an exclusive and atmospheric viewing of Nick Park's Oscar® winning animation The Wrong Trousers.

There will four screenings of the film starting at 6.30pm, doors open 6.00pm, and each screening lasts about 30 minutes. Visitors are encouraged to wear the wrong trousers to celebrate this free event. The Fashion Museum will be open to the public until 9pm, entry is free to Discovery Card holders, otherwise normal admission charges will apply.

The Fashion Museum is one of more than seventy museums and galleries around the country taking part in this event in association with Aardman Animations, the BBC and 2entertain.

Fifteen local museums and galleries will be taking part in Museums at Night, to celebrate Museums & Galleries Month.
Activities include live music at the Victoria Art Gallery; percussion workshops at the Museum of Bath at Work; and late opening at The Roman Baths, where the Great Bath will be torchlit and a promenade theatre will entertain visitors.

The American Museum, on the outskirts of Bath, will be staging Appalachian dancing in Queen Square near the Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution, which will be opening its new exhibition space for the night. No 1 Royal Crescent will be hosting a Georgian pastimes evening, involving embroidery and gentlemen's dancing, as well as live music.

This is the second time Bath and North East Somerset's museums have staged this event, in collaboration with the annual International Nuits des Musees, and it promises to establish Museum Night as a regular slot in Bath's cultural calendar.

During the week running up to Museums Night, there will be a joint exhibition staged by all the museums and galleries, in the Central Library 10am - 4pm 12-17 May. This will showcase the collaborative nature of Bath & North East Somerset heritage organisations and will include a trail with prizes for those completing it.

Other activities across the area's museums and galleries during May will include visual art sessions, theatre, film screenings and storytelling.

For more information on Museums and Galleries Month and Museums at Night events, log onto www.bathnes.gov.uk/heritageevents  
or ring 01225 477757. Leaflets will be available in local libraries and at participating sites soon.

I am sorry that I have not been able to put so many entries up of late but as I am approaching the last 3 weeks of my year in office things have become rather hectic and I have had very little time to update you on what has been happening.

I will be making an attempt over the next few days to catch up on what I have not been able to tell you for a while so I hope that you are able to be patient for just a few more days.

I have also many photographs that I will publish on my photo blog so watch out for these as of Friday.

After the sea cadets, We attended the Bath White Ensign Association Annual Dinner 76^th Anniversary it was a great night, it was lovely to see them all again as we were there when I was Deputy Mayor, we had a lovely dinner when we had speeches we had a heckler join in so we called him ‘noisy' which went down very well, even with him. When we finished, he came over and spoke to me and he liked my speech.

I hosted a reception for our Bath Sea Cadets It was lovely to see them in the Parlour. Our own Young Citizen of the year is also a Sea Cadet who is a lovely person and should be proud of himself. They have had some refurbishment done to their premises helped with some sponsorship. They also had a talk of the history in the Parlour which I hope they enjoyed. They are always looking for more youngsters to join them. They do take ones from 10-11 years -16-17years so come on if you are bored why not join a club find new friends and have a laugh while you learn all new different things.    

Thursday 27th March 

I hosted a Civic Reception for Primary Care Trust it was the Child Welfare part they had a visit from previous Mayors before but had never been into the Parlour so I decided it was about time they were invited in to see the Parlour as so many people haven't been in. and they always enjoy their talk about the Parlour, which they did. I'm so glad they went away happy which is what our job is all about.  

Also this evening Cllr Paradise was attending Schools Dance Umbrella Festival at the Forum in Bath.

I hosted the Reception and then the Annual Dinner of the Mayor's Corps of Honorary Guides which was an absolutely lovely dinner prepared by the councils caterers. Then the Speeches and Presentation of Badges to new Guides then chatter to the guests. I think everyone enjoyed their dinner without a doubt.

Easter Weekend lovely to watch the Rugby at the Rec and also enjoy their hospitality as well. After Lunch and some refreshments as well we sat down to watch the Rugby. The match was Bath and London Irish which Bath won 19-16 it was a rather chilly day I thanked Jack Rowell very nicely for the coat he let me borrow because I under estimated on how cold it was that day because I don't normally feel the cold that much sorry Jack but thanks! I will make sure I am better prepared next time.

But it was a good game.

Bath Futures Event at the Great Western Wine, Wells Road. A chance to catch up to speed with Festivals and keep in touch we also had a very good Poet Lemn Sissay.

He certainly didn't make the poetry boring that's for sure everyone, enjoyed it as far as I could see.

Students from Sainte Catherine de Sienne, Aix en Provence visited the Parlour they were doing an exchange with King Edwards School they understood the Parlour talk.

And had refreshments then they left and went to the Roman Baths.

The Duke of Gloucester visited the Victoria Art Gallery on Thursday 20^th March

It was the Blue and White Exhibition and had a very good look around the whole Gallery and enjoyed his stay and met the artists and us the Mayor, the Chairman, The Chief Executive of Council and Staff of the Gallery.  A lovely man to meet.

Bath's Choral Society is celebrating their 125^th year of it's exisistance this year.

Their performance was of Bach's St John's Passion in the Bath Abbey to raise money for the homeless and water aid.

Bath choral Society are performing at the Mayor-making this year.

Opening of the Walcot Children's Centre opened by the Chairman of the Council a well worth community use by all people weather they need help or they would like to help them for people all over Bath area.

We thank everyone that pushed forward people that they think deserve an award for the service to the local community we had lots of applicants we got it down to eight people finally and then we decided we just could not have chose one out of these eight they are all very outstanding people and it is a hard decision so we decided to make all eight Mayor's Citizen's who all received an aqua glass bowl, certificate and a badge.

On Monday 17^th March The Macular Disease Society had it's Easter Coffee Morning at the Vision Centre at Green Park Station and they all had to wear Easter Bonnets and I had to judge the best one, they all did a very good job at decorating there hats as it was Easter I had to judge the best Eastery decorated Bonnet who one a Easter Egg.

I didn't have anything else that day.  

We watched so many talented young people perform in front of a large audience it was absolutely lovely and these were the actual winners that performed and they can be very proud of what they have achieved and also what they are destined to do with their talent I hope they all get a big chance in there life's It was also lovely that all different sponsor's gave them the prizes and it was a great honour for me as Mayor to give the President's one which he deserved with the spectacular playing of piano.

Saturday 15^th March I met with some lovely people the Mayor of Epsom & Ewell Cllr Jean Steer and her guests on a charity coach trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury & Bath. They all took pictures on the marble staircase and in the Banqueting Room they didn't have long before it was time to go home back to family and friends. We trust that they enjoyed it hope they would come back to stay next time.  

Bad weather but still took part All Tents up Sport activities being shown to lots of children and adults Boxing club form Bristol also trying to help the new one in Southside Centre to get off the ground although they need sponsor-ship from companies that like helping young people so come on new companies help us get this one off the ground it might encourage other kind of sports as well not I'm that big of a fan of boxing but I do think it would help some of our children with their  co-ordination problems. There was also Judo experts and also I noticed the scouts, which of course boys and girls can that part in those activities as well. All the Kids were having fun in the mud as well, Well done kids for having fun in the bad weather !

On Friday  14th March in the evening Cllr Paradise went to the American Museum as the Mayor wasn't available. To see the 2008 Exhibition Preview of the Titanic- The Ship That Sank America and enjoyed the exhibition.

I hosted a Civic Reception for twining members of Aix-en-Provence and Kaposvar to say thank you for running the twining associations and keeping up the tradition that has been for many years with very little money to do this with and raising it themselves. Well done, they would be grateful for any help if anyone is interested! 

The Mayor's Guides a lovely bunch of people who love Bath and got a bit of spare time and love talking about their City and know lots of interesting thing's about it. They interview to make sure they get the right people for the job, although it's not a paid job it is voluntary   and I think they are marvellous to give their time to do this and that they know their City so well and I'm sure they meet such interesting people as well and enjoy it as much as other people do.

Although as the Mayor you don't interview we have other lovely people doing that. Audrey and two other Guides, that knows much more about it than we do. Now in Bath and other places there is Blue Badge Guides and they do get a numeration for the job.