I was kindly invited to the Civic Service of the new Mayor of Spelthorne, Vivienne Leighton.
A lovely village Church in Shepperton dating from 1614. What a great part of Surrey down by the River Thames. The Service and the tea party afterwards (great strawberry scones) were very much community focused with the Mayor herself leading the singing (she has a lovely voice!), in a local choir,
of Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine. I wish Vivienne all success in her year of office. .
Had the privilege of opening the Ashtead Village Day. Had an exciting journey there in a 1903 vintage car leading a convoy of old cars from The City of London Freeman’s School site, where we were given a send off by the Headmaster. We are arrived at the Village Day venue to find crowds already there in glorious sunshine to enjoy a wide range of activities, including a circus.
I toured the many stands and was delighted to visit many of the charities that were there. The local MP Chris Grayling was spotted, away from the dramas of Westminster. Congratulations to Tim Ashton of Ashtead Rotary who organised the event.
The High Sheriff is the Returning Officer for any constituency wholly within the County. I decided to choose Guildford, as it is my own constituency. I arrived at the Spectrum Leisure Centre around 11.30 pm when the count was well under way . Sue Surgeon and her staff did a brilliant job and by 2.30 am we were ready to announce the result which had Anne Milton being returned as the MP. Great to see the democratic process in operation.
Visited SATRO today. They work in schools across Surrey providing young people with real life experience of of work in Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). They reached 8,000 children last year in 27 schools. I saw the Mobile Construction Classroom in use at Kings College. with four lads learning how to lay bricks until the expert guidance of Tutor Bob Mancini. SATRO are improving the life chances of these young people. www.satro.org.uk
Living only three miles away I went too catch up with the latest developments at the Cranleigh Arts Centre. I met the Kary Backhouse the Centre Manage and Bob Wild the Chairman of the Trustees. I was so impressed by the range of activities that they lay on- crafts, exhibitions, music for all tastes, drama , live streaming . Even on a Monday when the Centre is supposed to be closed there was a lot going on. This really is a jewel of Surrey to be enjoyed by all. www.cranleighartscentre.org
Cllr Valerie White Mayor of Surrey Heath hosted the Civic Service at St Anne’s Church Bagshot yesterday. A powerful declaration of her resolve for her year of office. A reception that followed was a good opportunity to meet many of the new Borough Mayors from across Surrey who, like me, have recently taken up office. I need to do more to learn the second verse of the National Anthem!
Visited this charity yesterday and met the Chairman Tony Willis and the CEO Joyce Quinnell. They do a great service supporting over 100 youth clubs in Surrey (and “former” Surrey) helping over 2,500 young people a week to grow in confidence in their journey to adulthood.
Visited the Children’s Trust at Tadworth today and met the Chief Executive, Dalton Leong, members of staff and volunteers working with the children in their care. Children under their care have generally acquired brain injuries and are undergoing rehabilitation therapy to enable a better quality of life. There is a wonderful happy atmosphere with families very much welcomed and involved. The staff are incredible. As it is National Volunteers Week I met a volunteer affectionally known as “granddad” who had a grand daughter who benefitted from the care of the Trust and now himself is there helping two days a week. This is truly a place of hope. www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk
Visited the charity Catalyst today in Guildford. They do very impressive work on a very personalised basis with individuals struggling with alcohol and drug addiction and mental health issues. They are non judgemental and very caring. Wonderful staff and volunteers.
Photo of I , Lady Louise Connor Patron and two long serving volunteers with over thirty years each of commitment to the cause. www.catalystsupport.org.uk
Met Bishop Jo today and I look forward to co-operating with her in the Priority Places across Surrey.
