Mayor's blog

Safe Drive Stay Alive

I attended a Safe Drive Stay Alive education project organised by the Royal Borough of Greenwich Road Safety Officers in partnership with Transport for London, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.

The event was put on in order to reduce the number of casualties amongst young people in accidents on the road, in response to road death being the biggest killer of young people in the UK.

The event took place on Thursday 1 February at the Greenwich Theatre.

Sutcliffe Park Official Opening

I attended the official opening of the new first-class sports and athletic facilities at Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre on Saturday 10 February 2018.

It was a fun-filled family day to celebrate the official opening of the Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre. The event was marked by the attendance of two of the borough's renowned Olympians, Zoe Smith and Tosin Oke each with their own stories of hardships, determination and success.

The centre represents a multi-million pound investment by the borough to continue to advance and improve facilities for its resident and provide sporting opportunities in all types of weather, for all ages.

104th Birthday of Beryl Duffell

I also attended the birthday celebrations of the post centenary kind, by visiting Beryl Duffell on her 104th birthday at Meadows Care Home in Tudway Road, SE9.

Beryl told me she had the most fabulous life, living it to the full.

When asked about her longevity, her reply was eat ginger, laugh and smile.

Beryl also made me promise to come back for her 105th birthday!

The Crossness Engines Trust

On Tuesday 13 February, I had a chance to visit Crossness Pumping Station in Abbey Wood.

This was done in order to raise awareness of the site and explore whether closer links could be developed with the borough, the boundary of which is close to the site. One example of this is in the area of education and outreach.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

This Chinese New Year marked the beginning of the Year of the Dog, and I attended two events to commemorate the occasion.

The first was organised by the Chinese Women Association at the Woolwich Common Community Centre on 14 February. The day was full of singing, dancing and shows of Chinese tradition.

The second event was the Chinese New Year Banquet at the Saikei Chinese Restaurant in Greenwich on Tuesday 20 February.

The banquet was organised by the KUT-O Chinese Association. And yes they gave me a dog mask to wear! The things you do as the Mayor.

Royal Greenwich Equestrian Skills and Riding Centre

On 15 February, I attended the Royal Greenwich Equestrian Centre in Shooters Hill. This was organised by the Hadlow College, an educational institution dedicated to providing the huge range of courses to supports the needs of many different students.

The centre is an Olympic Legacy that creates a partnership between the college and the Royal Borough.

The highlight of the event was without a doubt the visit to the stables, where I had a chance to see the horses kept and trained by College staff and students at the centre.

Caribbean Social Forum

I attended the Caribbean Social forum's Music, Art and Dance Project. (They tried so hard to get me to dance) The project was about bringing people together to express themselves through the performing arts. Throughout the session, the candidates were encouraged to be completely free and share their experiences with the audience.

The ceremony was held at The Tramshed in Woolwich on 20 February. The highly decorated forum was a Civic Award winner for 2016, in addition to winning a Royal Borough of Greenwich Voluntary Association Award in the same year.

Youth Makes Music

I visited the bi-annual event of 'Youth Makes Music' organised by the Woolwich Rotary Club.

Fifteen schools performed on the day, in solos, ensembles, orchestras, groups and bands. Proceeds from the show went towards the Rotary charities locally in London and worldwide. The event was held in the Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 22 February.

The boroughs own representative school was St Pauls Academy in Abbey Wood. They were excellent.

15th Year Anniversary Celebration of the RCCG Victory Centre

I was invited to the anniversary celebrations of the RCCG Victory Centre on 25 February 2018.

I was honoured to give a speech during the ceremony and present awards to Joshua Conway and Olaniyi Ayeni whose literary contributions were recognised and rewarded, as well as Long Service and Community Service awards to various members of the church.

Metro Woolwich Grand Opening

I attended the opening of the Metro Charity's new headquarters and new Equality and Diversity Hub at The Equitable in General Gordon Square on 27 February.

It was delightful to officially launch the new building and allow Metro to continue to support those with issues regarding sexuality, gender equality, identity and diversity at the heart of the borough.

Metro is a leading charity in the UK dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing through their transformative services to anyone experiencing issues relating to gender, sexuality, diversity or identity.

Appealing to you!

I would like to round up my latest blog with a mention of my charities for the Mayoral year. I have decided to support Wide Horizons - The Adventure Learning Charity and the St George Garrison Church Trust, Woolwich.

Wide Horizons

They provide Adventure Learning courses and activities; provide stimulating, challenging, fun experiences, helping children to feel good and learn better.

Wide Horizons delivers a range of activities for all age groups of school children, from day centre nature experiences for primary school children, to adventurous activities for older children and young people. Many of these are linked to curriculum topics and can be adapted to suit learning objectives and goals.

They also provide leadership and CPD training to teachers and youth leaders, inspiring them to use the outdoors creatively for teaching. They believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience adventures as part of their education and development.

The Garrison Church of St George, Woolwich

The Church was built between 1862 and 1863 The Church was first bombed in World War I and then again on 13 July 1944. The fate of the Church changed forever when a flying bomb landed on it, causing a fire and gutting much of the interior.

In 2011 ownership of the Church was transferred from Defence Estates to the Heritage of London Trust Operations. The site is now managed by largely borough residents who have formed the Woolwich Garrison Church Trust. Services are still held at the Church for soldiers of the Kings Troop and Royal Horse Artillery based at Woolwich Barracks.

I hope we can raise as much as possible for both charities.

How to support these charities

If you wish to support my charities, please contact my office on 020 8921 5023. You can also send a cheque made payable to the 'Mayor's Charity Appeal' to:

Mayor's Office,
Town Hall,
Wellington Street,
Woolwich SE18 6PW

Contact the Mayor

To contact the Mayor's Office, please email mayor@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or telephone 020 8921 5023.

Thanks for reading

Thank you for reading my blog. Until next time... Peter.