Royal Bank of Scotland lunch

Today I was a guest of Andrew Swift and his colleagues at the Royal Box at Newbury Racecourse. Andrew is the new Director of the RBS in Newbury and has held a series of lunches with corporate clients in order to get to know the local business sector. The Newbury branch of the RBS has been doing very well in recent years, and Andrew is keen to see their influence in the business community continue to expand.

Although I had looked around the newly refurbished Royal Box before, today was the first time I had eaten there, and I was very impressed with the facility. The dining room has been beautifully decorated and furnished, and the food was very good.

Pictured with me is Nick Munson, Andrew Swift and Mike McAllister.

Salvation Army Carol Concert

Last Saturday night I was a guest of the Newbury Salvation Army at their hugely popular annual carol concert. The event was a sell out at the Corn Exchange.

The Salvation Army band from Maidenhead performed a number of items, and played along to the carols sung by the audience. Also performing were the John Rankin Junior School Choir, who were accompanied on the piano by Jamie Bevan. Captain Jim Cussen from Newbury, and the bandmaster Stuart Hall made very able comperes.

Chairman's lunch at the Newbury Weekly News

Jeremy Willis, the Chairman of the Newbury Weekly News, holds several lunches throughout the year with a variety of people from the local community, and yesterday I was a guest along with Stuart Tagg, the Chief Executive of The Greenham Common Trust, and John Heath, a trustee of the Colefax Trust. Also present were the Finance Director of the Newbury Weekly News, Brien Beharrell, the Editor, and Adrian Martin, the Managing Director.

We are very fortunate in Newbury to have an independant weekly paper, and Jeremy is the fifth generation of the family who founded it. I couldn't help but see the parallels with Camp Hopson, having been there just the day before - both are Newbury institutions, still family run and independant, and most importantly, both are flourishing having recently spent millions of pounds upgrading. In the case of the NWN it was to introduce new printing presses - they now print about thirty titles a week, many for other independant papers.

Official opening of Bennetts/Equity Insurance

Yesterday morning I went along to officially open the new Equity Insurance office in Northbrook Street. Bennetts insurance has had a presence in Newbury for many years (over 20 to my knowledge), and has now merged with another company and they have chosen 'Equity' as their new name.

They moved offices from Bartholomew Street some months ago, and have settled into their new home at the Northern end of Northbrook Street. The staff were very welcoming to Carol and I, and we were presented with some beautiful floral bouquets.

Camp's Caring Day

Newbury's independant department store, Camp Hopson, holds a 'caring day' for elderly and disabled customers each year before Christmas. This is done in partnership with the West Berkshire Volunteer Centre who provide the transport where necessary.

After officially opening the day, Carol, Garry Poulson, Jonathan Hopson, Beccy Human and I went up to Joseph's Restaurant for refreshments. We talked about family tree research, - Jonathan has recently caught the bug for this, and believes he has tracked down the Hopson line to the 1600's. Carol has also been working with her sister to track down her family history and has even spent the day at the national records office in London. One of Jonathan's relations married an Ida Durrant - I don't think there is a link, but you never know - the Durrants did own a chain of gentlemen's tailors in the first half of the twentieth century!

Christmas Lights Switch on with Theo Walcott

I was a little anxious about this years switch on - not because I'm the Mayor this year, but because it was our first ever Celebrity Switch On, and I knew it would be more crowded than ever.

I didn't meet Theo Walcott until I was on the Kick FM stage at two minutes to five. Chris Rose and Andy Green were getting the crowd going with practice countdowns, and after Theo and I pressed the plunger, Theo threw signed mini footballs out into the crowd - I'd never seen so many people in the market place! I then processed back to the Town Hall with the Town Crier, Mace Bearers, Junior Mayor and Deputy, Chair of West Berks, and Mayor of Hungerford - it was a bit of a squeeze getting through the crowds!

It was good to relax back at the Town Hall, and after a few minutes Theo arrived with his girlfriend, Mum, Dad and brother Ashley (who looks very like Theo). After spending a while introducing Theo to some of the other guests - including the Youth Council members - we adjourned to the Mayors Parlour. I introduced Theo to my Theo, and we took some pictures. Theo also kindly signed an Arsenal Shirt (no 32) for me to auction for my charities at a later date. I was very impressed at the mature way he handled the whole thing, - his whole family were very pleasant, and I am sure they will help him survive the enormous pressures of being a premier league footballer at such a young age.

Kick FM Breakfast Show

It was an early start on Wednesday, as I was the guest on the breakfast show with Chris Rose and Charlotte Butt. We launched their Christmas Toy Appeal - last year this was a huge success, with hundreds of donations of new toys from individuals and companies. The toys are distributed by staff from Social Services, and this year they are keen to have more presents for teenagers.

We also talked about the forthcoming Christmas Lights Switch on, as Kick provide the staging and entertainment for this event each year.

Newbury Youth Theatre - Hope Springs

This evening I went to the new Arlington Theatre at the Mary Hare Grammar School to see the Newbury Youth Theatre production of Hope Springs. The NYT have performed this play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to four star reviews. I took Louis along, as he enjoys performing arts and I thought it might inspire him!

The play is about a group of teenagers in a private 'correctional facility' who rebel against the regime. It had echoes of TVs Brat Camp, and also of 'Holes'. It was well staged and acted - a lot of dialogue to learn - but some good opportunity for expression too! The play is currently on tour around schools in West Berkshire, with just one more to visit - clearly a very dedicated theatre group, it will be interesting to see what they do next.

The British Heart Foundation Charity Concert

Stuart and I went along to the BHF Charity Concert at St Mary's Church Shaw-cum-Donnington on Sunday evening. We were the guests of the concert organiser, Josh Smith.

I recognised a number of members of the assembled band from the Berkshire Maestros - the violinist Emily Meaney and saxophonist George Millard both performed very accomplished solos, and drummer Gillian Breach was also the musical director. A quintet of ladies called the Moonlighters sang a couple of barber shop style numbers, and also sang backing vocals for other soloists who were all aged about 12 to 18. The audience was also entertained by film projections accompanying some of the songs.

Most amazingly Josh Smith is only 14 and he had the idea for the concert and made it all happen. I was delighted to support him and all the performers - what talent!

Beenham Band - The Big Country

Last night I went with my friend Rachel to the Corn Exchange to see the Beenham Band in concert. We both know Eleanor Brooks, a band member and headteacher of Speenhamland School.

I thought the band looked very professional with their dinner jackets and black evening outfits against a black backdrop twinkling with stars. The programme had an American theme and included some Rogers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which included a tour de force from guest pianist Robert Thompson.

My favourite pieces were the music from The Incredibles by Michael Giaccino (great fun) and the finale which was the theme tune to the film 'Big Country' by Jerome Moss - a really iconic piece.

I was most impressed as the band originated just seven years ago from the small village of Beenham, and there were 37 musicians on the stage last night playing to a very high standard.

Coffee morning for the over 80's parcel fund

Every year the Mayor of Newbury hosts a coffee morning for the Newbury Weekly News over 80's parcel fund. Adrian Martin, the MD of the NWN came along and told me that the over 80s parcel fund had been going for so long, it used to be called the T and T fund - tobacco for the men and tea for the ladies! These days the paper raises £16,000 each year to fill a bag with goodies for those over 80 in its area of circulation.

We had a steady flow of visitors throughout the morning - they even ate my slightly overcooked rock cakes! I went outside a few times to persuade shoppers to come in for a tea or coffee, and several people stopped me to say how lovely the Market Place looked after the extensive re-vamp.

Amongst the customers were Brian Burgess and Alex Payton, the Mayor of Thatcham, and we were entertained by Trevor Brown who recited a number of 'Clerihew' poems, and I responded with some Spike Milligan! After coming home I found Alex had created his own 'Clerihew' and emailed it to me, so here it is:

Newbury, near Thatcham, has an ancient politics.
Of the four hundred or so mayors there must have beensince 1596
The one that is current
Is Gillian Durrant.

Teddy Bear Treasure Hunt for Children in Need

Some of the Town Council staff organised a treasure hunt in Victoria Park to raise money for the BBC Children in Need appeal. Sue, Mags, Helen and Sue dressed up as Goldilocks and the three bears and hid Pudsey Bear cut outs all around the park for pre school children to find.

The weather was pretty awful - there were a few sunny spells, but then the rain set in with a vengeance. Amazingly they still had over 40 children doing the treasure hunt, mainly from the adjacent Victoria Park Nursery. The rain certainly didn't dampen the childrens enthusiasm, but apparently the adults weren't so keen! I was most impressed with Goldilocks and the three bears for sticking it out for nearly four hours - I hope they do it again, but maybe in the summer!

St Bartholomew's School Prizegiving

Thursday evening was the annual Key Stage 4 prizegiving at St Barts.

The address was given by Simon Stevens, the President of United Health International who is a former head boy of the school, and son of the school chaplain. I sat next to his very proud mother.

St Barts certainly had much to celebrate - they had had their best set of exam results ever. It is easy for older people to be cynical about the ever increasing pass rate in GCSEs (they have gone up every year since I took mine 26 years ago), but there is no doubt that many of todays teenagers put a huge amount of effort into their school work and revision - I think they have a much stronger work ethic than in my day.

Forty five pupils achieved an amazing 8 or more A or A* passes, and one lad, Christopher West, had a staggering 14 A* passes. The school also had three of the top 5 English Literature GCSE results in the country (out of more than 350,000).

An Inconvenient Truth

This afternoon I went to the Corn Exchange to see An Inconvenient Truth, a film about global warming by Al Gore. Richard Benyon, with a sponsor, had block booked a large proportion of seats for the afternoon performance of the film, and invited councillors, church leaders and teachers to the viewing.

What most suprised me was that Al Gore has been campaigning against the causes of global warming since before most of us had heard about it, and he has travelled the world with his 'slide show' for many years. This slide show formed the basis of the film, with many graphs and statistics to prove his point scientifically beyond doubt. What a shame he didn't win the presidential election in 2000 - it is interesting to think that the CO2 emissions from the USA may have declined by now rather than increased year on year as they have done. Thankfully since the recent elections in America there is a new chair of the environment committee who actually believes global warming exists, so thats a start!

I walked home through Victoria Park in an unseasonally mild afternoon wondering what the future holds...

West Berks Education Business Partnership AGM

At Monday lunchtime I went to the WBEBP AGM at the Donnington Valley Hotel. The Cromwell Room was packed - I dont think I have ever been to such a well attended AGM. A number of West Berks officers and councillors were there including the Chair; our MP Richard Benyon; Brien Beherall of the NWN; many teaching staff, including head of sixth form at Park House, and Head of St Barts. There were also school challenge competition winners from Downs School, and two St Barts pupils who talked about the benefits of their year 10 work experience.

One of the key things WBEBP do is to match hundreds of year 10s with work placements for a week every year. They also run business projects with local companies, and emergency services, mostly for the benefit of secondary school children. Its a shame they dont work more with children below the age of 12, but I still envy those who do get to take part in the business challenges - there was nothing like that when I was at school!

Dingley Family and Play Therapy Group

This morning I went along to the Dingley open day. The group is based in the picnic enclosure at Newbury Racecourse. They lost their original 'home' when Sandleford Hospital was demolished two years ago.

The group has three centres; in Reading, Wokingham and here. Each centre is run independantly by trustees, as it is a charity. Dingley provides a playgroup environment for children aged 0 to 5 with disabilities and special educational needs but it is equally valuable for their carers, usually mums, who can meet others in the same situation and make friends. As their children settle in, the mums can leave them with staff and enjoy some rare time to themselves. The children make good progress while at the group, and many go on part time to other nurseries as they get older.

The staff, parents and trustees would love to have a purpose built nursery, with a dedicated garden area for the children to play. Currently they have to close down several days each month when there are races going on.

Remembrance Sunday

Fortunately the day was sunny and mild. It is mind boggling to think of the thousands of people around the country as they prepare for their remembrance parades. Hundreds take part in Newbury's parade and service; it seems to get bigger every year, though sadly there are fewer and fewer veterans taking part. It is good to see so many young people involved (including my sons, who paraded with their scout troup), I recognised many as they marched past - I hope they know the significance of the service, I always find it very moving.

After the silence I layed the first wreath, and my son Theo would have laid the last one, but unbeknownst to me he was in the back of an ambulance having almost passed out!

Fortunately Theo was fine after a rest, but I processed on to St Nicolas' Church for the service and didn't find out about his adventure till afterwards. The service was lovely - some of my favourite hymns, and my chaplain Andy Warren gave a thought provoking address.

Afterwards many went back to the Royal British Legion for refreshments, and I was taken around to meet some of the veterans. One former bomber pilot told me he served for the last three years of the war, flying countless tours; another told me he was one of only 30 survivors of his batallion - and this all happened when they were such young men. To people of my generation and younger it seems like another age ago - only existing in films and old black and white archive footage - so its good to speak to those who were actually there - it makes it more real. I wish all of todays children could have the opportunity to meet with and question these veterans.

11.11.11

I was on Saturday Surgery duty on the Town Hall steps this morning with fellow councillor Mike Rodger. Mike has been Mayor twice, and started on the council with me nine and a half years ago. Sadly Mike is moving to Carlisle at the end of the month, and he will leave a big hole at the council and in the town where he is a well known and popular figure. It was good to do a Saturday Surgery with him before he leaves.

At 10.50am the British Legion held a short service of remembrance at the war memorial. A large number of people stopped to take part, and stood in silence for the two minutes following the last chime of the church tower clock at eleven. I was proud to lay a wreath by the war memorial on behalf of the town.

Tomorrow we will be back there again, but with hundreds of local people following the parade.

Meals on Wheels

This week was Meals on Wheels week, and I was asked by Apetito, the company who provide the service in Newbury to help deliver a meal to one of their customers. Pictured is Mr White receiving his lunch from me and Rachel.

Kennet Opera - Sweeney Todd

On Wednesday evening I was invited by Kennet Opera to attend the first of four nights of their latest show, Sweeney Todd.

I was impressed - the staging and costumes made the show look professional, and the performances were very accomplished. The only thing that gave away its amateur status was the fact that I recognised a number of people on stage! The musical accompaniment was especially effective, as it was beautifully modulated to enhance each performers voice, and not overpower them. All the leads were good, but the standout for me was Sam Spaak as Mrs Lovett - an excellent comic performance.

Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup 50th Anniversary Lunch

Today I was a guest of the Chairman and Directors of Newbury Race Course for the celebration lunch marking 50 years of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup. I have to confess to not being a racegoer, so the starry line up of Jockeys, owners and trainers was a bit lost on me, but I had heard of Bob Champion, Jenny Pitman and John Francome.

28 of the past winners were represented, and everyone enjoyed watching the archive footage of winners crossing the finishing post. Jockeys and trainers of some of the winning horses were interviewed between courses, including Stan Mellor who was on my table. The lunch was delicious and Stuart and I both enjoyed meeting some of the guests - I arrived feeling like a fish out of water, but was made very welcome.

Spring Charity Fundraisers AGM

I had met Jane Wells, the secretary of the Spring Charity Fundraisers at several functions, and over the years at Newbury in Bloom prizegivings, as she is a keen gardner. She recently told me about this charity, which I hadn't heard of, so I was pleased to attend their AGM last night at the Bacon Arms.

The charity is only a couple of years old officially, but the committee have been fundraising since 1999. They were a group of friends that decided to hold a ball to raise money for local disabled children. I think they are unusual because they had no disabled children themselves, and set about this for (almost) totally altruistic reasons. I say almost, because they clearly know how to enjoy themselves and obviously like parties! To date they are on their way to having raised £50,000, which is a wonderful achievement.

The other lovely thing about their charity is that they give only to local people, and I happen to know several of them, being the governor with special responsibility for the Keevil unit at Speenhamland School, where a number of disabled children attend. This makes their achievements very tangible. They have given lightweight wheelchairs, non-slip flooring, hoists, specialist computers for severe dyslexia, and special sports wheelchairs for the Vikings, the local disabled basketball team. Their next target is to raise £4,500 to pay for a special bath to help a severely disabled teenager and his family.

Their next ball will be at the Racecourse on Saturday 17 March, and I hope to be there to support them. I will be encouraging others to go along too, as they need to sell over 250 tickets to make a profit. If you are reading this and want to go, call Jane Wells on 01635 33826.

Mrs Florence Dee's 100th

Yesterday afternoon I went along to the Salvation Army Hall in Newbury, to the CAMEO Club (Come and Meet Each Other) which is a social club where all are welcome. They had a special celebration because one of their regular members will be 100 on Thursday.

Florence Dee is such a lovely lady - everyone I spoke to there said what a kind and sunny person she is, and they are right, she is 'twinkly'! She told me she came to Newbury as a baby, and went to Speenhamland and St Mary's schools (the latter long since gone). She brought up her children herself, and said the secret of her long life was to find the positive in everything, and to be happy. She lives alone, and still keeps her garden (she grew potatoes and beans last year). The main thing she wanted to talk about was her helicopter ride last week - she loved it!

West Berkshire Indoor Bowls Club

On Saturday morning Carol and I went to the West Berkshire Indoor Bowls Club for the official re-opening by Richard Benyon MP, following the extensive refurbishment of their premises. The club is 21 years old, and has several hundred members. Several national competitions were going on during the day, and I had a chance to meet one of their members who plays for the England ladies team.

The Play What I Wrote

Finally on Thursday I attended a reception as a guest of Lord Carnarvon and the Trustees of the Corn Exchange, before watching the Play What I Wrote, - a West End hit show now touring, that is based on the work of Morecombe and Wise.

I took my mum along, and we both enjoyed the play - it brought back memories of watching the Christmas Specials all those years ago.

Best of Newbury

Also on Thursday night I went along to the opening of the Best of Newbury photography exhibition at the Corn Exchange. Sam and Neale James of Breathe photographers had taken pictures of 150 people who live and/or work in Newbury; many of the portraits reflect the character of the sitter, and I defy any local person not to recognise someone in the exhibition!

The exhibition takes its name from the website which is a co-sponsor. Ironically I dont have a photo of the evening because I forgot to put the battery in my camera!
www.breathpictures.com

Newbury Building Society 150th Anniversary

Yesterday was also the 150th anniversay reception for Newbury Building Society. We are very fortunate to have such a strong, well run building society in Newbury. Many local building societies have been taken over by nationals in recent years, so are becoming a rarity.

The reception was held at the Newbury Manor Hotel, and very well attended, though I was one of very few women present, and no doubt stood out amongst the sea of grey suits! I saw many familiar faces, and managed to chat to a number of directors of the society, amongst others.

Newbury Day Centre

Yesterday lunchtime I attended the neighbourhood learning centres celebration day at the Newbury Day Centre in Newtown Road. There were representatives from the centres around West Berkshire, including Theale and Hungerford, and stands giving information about the various organisations who work in partnership with West Berkshire Council to provide services and facilities for the community, and especially for those with learning disabilities.

I saw filmed interviews with people learning IT skills at Hungerford Day Centre, and a demonstration of British Sign Language. Unfortunately I could not stay for the full three hours and therefore missed out on the presentation by the Ormonde Resource Centre, and the yoga workshop.

The picture is of me and Erik Anders who runs the Morpheus Theatre which is based at the Day Centre. The theatre puts on professional productions by touring theatre companies, and gives opportunites for local people with learning difficulties to gain experience and qualifications in the performing arts. For more information see their website www.morpheustheatre.org

Full Council

On Monday evening I chaired my second full council meeting. We had presentations from Thames Valley Crimestoppers, Newbury Citizens Advice Bureau and the Berkshire Community Responders Team.

The first explained how they team up with local authorities to create posters and leaflets to publicise anti-social and criminal behaviour, in order to encourage the public to help catch the offenders. They are an independant charity and all calls made to them are totally anonymous.

The second presentation by the CAB Chief Executive, Bob King, was to advise the Town Council that our funding of Saturday morning opening was possibly not as cost effective as it could be. Bob is going to evaluate opening on a weekday evening instead. The Town Council has funded Saturday opening for about four years, to enable those who work during the week to have access to the fantastic advise that the CAB can offer.

Finally we heard from Richard Davies the Community Defibulation Officer, who explained the benefits of having trained volunteers in each centre of population who are able to reach people having heart attacks within eight minutes, to give them a much better chance of survival. The Councillors resolved to look at the possibility of having a town centre volunteer team to add to the network within West Berkshire.