July councillors surgery change!

We're at the Oxford Road Fun Day on Saturday 2 July from 12 to 4 so we won't be holding our usual surgery at Battle library on the same morning. The fun day is a great event so please come along and say hello!

Imagine: a future without creativity

I've just got back from the launch of Imagine at the University of Reading (more info here).  It is a fundraising campaign with the ambition to raise £150 million to enable the university to make a real-world impact with the research it does.

Part of the launch was a debate on this topic:

To dream and imagine: the impact of our research in the coming 90 years.

The panel contained experts in cellular and molecular neuroscience, integrative neuroscience and neuro dynamics,  film, theatre and television, leadership and leadership and organisational behaviour and meteorology.  At first glance they don't seem to have much in common but there was one theme that they all shared, the importance of creativity and imagination in research.

We were only discussing how important creativity was in the workplace in the Cultural Education Partnership meeting yesterday. One of the aims of the partnership is to increase the number of young people with qualifications preparing them for work in the  creative industries.  We started talking about what the creative industries are and I mentioned that creativity is important in many careers, not just those in the arts. This evenings panel discussion qualified my remark and all panellists agreed that creative thinking, and imagination, are vital when it come to designing experiments, theories and pushing our understanding of the world.

I mentioned in my farewell speech as mayor that I felt the arts were being pushed out of the school curriculum in favour of more academic subjects. Don't get me wrong, a good solid foundation  in maths, English and science are important but we must not stifle creativity. Creative thinking should be encouraged alongside these subjects and art and heritage are great ways to encourage a creative thought process.

I hope the work of the Cultural Education Partnership helps fill the gap in our children's education because, without creativity, we are limiting the scientists, experts and academics of the future.

You van read more about the Cultural Education Partnership here.

My retiring Mayor's speech

Mr Mayor, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen.

What an amazing year it's been. I've met celebrities and royalty, travelled to Düsseldorf and gone to balls and dinners. I opened and named Christchurch bridge, one of my new favourite things and cut numerous ribbons.  Ive been spotted in Lidl and at bus stops. I went to my first classical music concert as Deputy Mayor and bought my first original pieces of art. I nominated Jelly, The Rising Sun Arts centre, Progress Theatre and Reading Fringe for Queens Awards for Voluntary Service. I've experienced the huge relief of The Force Awakens being very good. I have also, literally, had a ball.

I've been to over 300 events and raised at least £15,000, with more to come, for my charities Babies in Buscot and Fibromyalgia UK.
All this has been wonderful but the greatest part of my year, and the thing I'll miss the most, is meeting you, the residents of Reading.

You've got me dancing, morris, Nepalese, clog, Bengali and good old fashioned disco bopping. I've heard your stories over a piece of cake, learned about your passions and how committed you are to the hundreds of groups,  charities and projects we have in the town.

I've learned about Reading’s history, about our twinned towns of Düsseldorf,  Speightstown, Clonmel and San Francisco Libre and their great groups in Reading. I've discovered what you want for the future and what you need right now.

Youve also supoorted me during my year. I need to thank, although not the full list:

University of Reading, especially  Henley Business School and Dr Daniel Gozman who's students helped local Reading charities and also raised £230 for my charities.

The Broad Street Mall for letting us collect money and put up a stall selling my christmas cards.

Jelly and Suzanne Stallard who have supported my design a Christmas Decoration competition,  and ball among many other things.

Matthew Foster, Richard Bentley  and the Rising Sun Arts centre for putting on Float that raised £200 for my charities.

And of course I need to thank the representatives from my charities Babies in Buscot and  Reading Fibromyalgia support group who've collected money in buckets, manned stalls and helped arrange events.

I owe huge thanks to the Reading Borough Council team who support the mayor. Kirsty who had organised my diary, meetings and events and made sure I knew where I was going, who I was seeing and what I was doing. Lucy, Sian and Debbie who planned and organised events and ensured they ran smoothly and Craig, Kit and Chris who helped me get to where I was going.

My greatest thanks have to go to my family. Without their support I wouldn't have been able to fulfil my duties. My husband Marcel has escorted me to balls and dinners and adjusted his life to help me this year. He's done more boys bedtimes than ever before. Isaac and Haiden have been well behaved, polite boys who, despite protesting about by being dragged away for their tablets, have enjoyed the events they've gone to.

My parents Chris and Dorothy have babysat, collected boys from school, dropped boys off from school fed them and looked after them when I've been busy. We've even had weekly diary sessions to ensure My engagements are covered.  My sister Victoria has also given me a tremendous amount of support by helping me with the boys, babysitting, having the boys overnight all while working extremely hard as a teacher. I will always be grateful.

Finally I need to thank the people of Reading. Without them being Mayor would be a dull job. With them we have a town filled with people making it more beautiful, more interesting, more fair, more friendly, more equal and we have a town that's filled with music, dance, art, love, friendship, ambition and hope.

So what does the future hold?  As you can imagine I won't be idle.  I have a motion going to my union, Unite’s,  July policy conference asking the a fibromyalgia information pack be created.  We are getting to a very exciting phase of the Hidden Abbey Project and I am pleased to say I will still be very much involved.  I'll remain chair of the Cultural Education Partnership helping to fill the gap as the arts are squeezed out of the curriculum and our children become exam machines. I'll remain chair of the Arts and Heritage forum and a strong voice for our arts community.  I'll work to ensure our Year of Culture has a legacy to be proud of. I am delighted to announce that I am now going to be an official patron of the Year of Culture is recognition of the support I have given very the past year. I am really looking forward the the next 7 months.

Finally I am very pleased to announce that I have been made a patron of Reading Pride, a role I will fulfill with energy, enthusiasm and and, of course, pride. I may be biased but I believe Reading Pride is one of the best in the country, still free to attend, inclusive, family friendly and, more importantly, growing.

I thought I couldn't love this town more but I was wrong. My year as mayor has showed me what a great town we have and my love for it has deepened. I am confident our new Mayor will do the town proud. He is a kind, caring man and friend. Enjoy your year Mr Mayor.

Deputy Mayor Diaries: Reading Fringe Festival Launch

On Friday 1 May I was lucky enough to be at the Reading Fringe Festival launch at Penta Hotel.  I know that Reading is filled with tonnes of talented people and culture but people still bash the town saying there's nothing going on.  The Reading Fringe Festival is an example of one of the many brilliant things that happen in our town.

I was there to present the prizes for the Design a SuperHero and Mayor for the Day competition. Crazies Hill Primary won the Design a Superhero competition with Beerskit and Anais Buche from Chiltern Edge School won Mayor for a Day and actually had some excellent ideas for the Year of Culture next year (which I will be taking with me to my meeting about the Year of Culture tomorrow).

I was also treated to another performance from the brilliant Gog, who won Alternative Queen of Reading, and Mad Monkey Improv who were very funny and will be at the festival.The Reading Fringe Festival will run 15-19 July this year and the line-up looks like there's something for everyone.

This pic is from the Reading Post's excellent gallery which you can view by clicking on the photo.  Here I am with the winning and highly commended Mayor for a Day entry writers

Deputy Mayor Diaries: VE Day celebrations at the Maples Centre

Things got a bit busy in May - can't think why.  Anyway it's time I finished my Deputy Mayor Diaries now that I am the actual Mayor.

On Friday 8 May I dashed from the local election count, where I was seriously over dressed (I'd dressed for the VE day theme), to join the people at The Maples Centre for their VE Day celebration.  There were lots of activities on during the day with a raffle, games, entertainment buffet and toast to those that were not here to remember VE day 70 years on.

It was clear everyone was enjoying themselves and I was lucky to hear some of the stories of VE day from some of those at the event.  At 3pm we observed a two minute silence, joining thousands across the country to remember those who lost their lives to make VE day happen.

The Maples in one of the councils day centres, along with drop-ins in Caversham and Southcote.