As Mayor, I’m fortunate to meet so many incredible people, visit so many inspiring places and celebrate the very best of our borough. Each month, I’ll use this blog to share some of the highlights from my diary, giving you a glimpse of the people, organisations and events that make Greenwich such a special place.
Following the formal inauguration, it was straight to business with a Citizenship Ceremony, followed by Volunteers’ Week, where we celebrated those who have given more than 250 hours of their time over the past year to support exceptional causes.
The event, organised by the brilliant Volunteer Centre Greenwich, recognised befrienders, museum volunteers, gardeners, sports coaches and many others who generously give their time to charities and community organisations.
They are making a huge difference, strengthening our communities, improving their own skills and wellbeing, and giving something back to society. We can always do with more people stepping forward, so if you’re interested, please get in touch with the Volunteer Centre.
That was followed by Carers’ Week, where I attended a fantastic event hosted by the unique Greenwich Carers’ Centre in Charlton. It celebrated the efforts of around 40,000 carers supporting family members across the borough. It is wonderful to see the Centre going from strength to strength, providing an excellent range of services from its Stables base as well as through its outreach work.
Then came Learning Disability Week, where I was on the receiving end of some very sharp questioning from residents of our Greenwich Living Options homes, alongside some of our excellent Learning Disability Members of Parliament. Around 600 adults across the borough live in a range of settings, with families, independently, in supported accommodation and with GLO and other providers. Their voices have always been incredibly important, and so too is our continued focus on promoting independence and supporting people to live fulfilling lives.
Next was Refugee Week, which I had promised would be one of my priorities this year by celebrating the enormous contribution made by our refugee and migrant communities. The celebration at Woolwich Works was fantastic, with performances from Luca Silvestrini’s Protein theatre company, music from the Citizens of the World Choir, and contributions from people with roots in Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria and an amazing Kurdish soloist.
It reminded us what a privilege it is to be a Borough of Sanctuary that welcomes those fleeing war, genocide, persecution and other horrors. It was also a pleasure to attend a Tibetan cultural evening at Woolwich Works and celebrate with the Greenwich Gurkhas’ Association at Panas Restaurant.
To round off the month, we marked Armed Forces Week by raising the flag above the Town Hall and joining commemorative events at City Hall and Woolwich Garrison Church alongside our local Army personnel and cadets. Sadly, there was no large Armed Forces Day event locally this year, but we still took the opportunity to thank our serving personnel, reservists and the many thousands of veterans who call our borough home.
I visited, or welcomed visits from, a number of schools – celebrating achievements, opening a new library and being quizzed by school councils. I also attended two of our excellent Junior Citizen Days, organised by our Transport Road Safety team with support from partners including TfL, the Fire Service, Community Safety, the police and the NHS. The programme helps Year 6 pupils prepare for the move to secondary school by learning how to stay safe and make smart decisions. Despite the 36°C heat, the pupils threw themselves into the activities with real enthusiasm.
There were many more events too; Metro Judo, Greenwich Scouts, the Priory Players, faith gatherings, community celebrations at Plumstead Make Merry, Hornfair Climate Awareness, Maryon Park Summerfest and, of course, our weekly Citizenship Ceremonies.
What continues to strike me is the sheer breadth and depth of everything happening across our borough. As Mayor, I spend much of my time wearing a chain of office, which usually means a suit and tie or robes for the more formal occasions.
That has certainly been more of a challenge in the recent heatwave, but every minute has been worth it. It is a real privilege to promote Greenwich and celebrate the remarkable diversity, talent, community spirit and energy that make our borough such a wonderful place.
Contact the Mayor's office to find out more about events that the Mayor attends or arrange for the Mayor to attend your community event.
Contact the Mayor’s Office
Email:
mayor@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
Phone:
0208 921 5023