I began to write this early in January whilst we were still in Spain enjoying a much appreciated break from our duties. We had been involved with events until Boxing Day when the Mayor was required to give awards to the Lifeguards. Once we had done this the Lifeguards carried out an interesting demonstration of saving someone from the sea. It is clearly quite a hazardous and tricky task which obviously requires much training to carry out. The weather on Boxing Day was dry and sunny which was quite different from Christmas Day when we had been at Boscombe beach starting the sea-plunge of hundreds of volunteers who were raising funds for the local Macmillan Cancer charity. The weather was foul with first heavy hail-stones then heavy rain and a stormy sea. The Mayor had to start the event from the shore-line and was almost carried away by a sudden surge of water, so we got quite wet. From this event we moved to the Spartans’ Christmas Day swim which they carry out in fancy dress and the role of the Mayor was to judge the costumes. We spent the remainder of Christmas Day with the Salvation Army, first we had lunch in Boscombe and assisted with serving the desserts, we then travelled to Winton where we had tea and joined in with the entertainment. Apart from getting very wet in the morning we spent a very pleasant day.
During November the most significant events were related to Remembrance Services. These began with the launch of the Poppy Appeal held in the Town Centre Square when the Dorset British Legion came to Bournemouth this year for this annual event. Veterans from the Services were present, as was a contingent of serving soldiers. After a short commemorative service we began the sale of poppies and then the British Legion representatives and the attendees at the service were invited into the Mayor’s parlour for refreshments.
The usual service at the War Memorial was held on the Sunday a week later and was extremely well attended by residents. After the service, the laying of the wreaths and the March Past by the Service Groups and the local Scouts and Guides, the Civic Party processed back to the Town Hall to a reception for the special guests and visitors. After the reception the Mayor and I went to the Lansdowne Memorial to lay a wreath. In the evening there was a Remembrance Concert at the Salvation Army Citadel in Boscombe which we attended. The next day we attended the Bournemouth Memorial Homes remembrance service at Holdenhurst Church.
On the following Sunday we celebrated our Civic Service at RHSA which was in commemoration of recipients of those from Dorset who received the Victoria Cross for acts of extreme courage during conflicts. The Lord Lieutenant attended the service, as did several Mayors from the surrounding towns, some members of the Services and several local Councillors. This was a very moving service which ran smoothly and we thank the Church members for their help in the organisation. Immediately following the Civic Service we attended a commemorative service at the Islamic Centre next door, this was for a young Muslim woman, Captain Naima Mohammed, who died from cancer last year at the age of 27 years. We joined the community in a buffet lunch and listened to a eulogy about Naima; she had obviously been a very vibrant young woman who had achieved much in her short life. We were pleased to be able to offer support at such a sad time.
Just a few days prior to the Civic Service we were invited to a drinks reception in Winchester at Serles House, the Headquarters of what was the Royal Hampshire Regiment, now incorporated into the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment. This was a very informative evening as the building houses a museum, also when the Mayor mentioned the theme of our Civic Service they very kindly offered to lend us a copy of a Victoria Cross for display at the service.
We have hosted several dinner parties in the Mayor’s Parlour and a number of buffet receptions, one of which was for members of the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE), plus a number of RE teachers from local schools. One of the teachers had just returned from a trip to Zibo in China and spoke with great enthusiasm about his experiences. This link was a direct result of the Sister Twining with Bournemouth which the Mayor has recently arranged. We have also held tea parties for the past mayors and mayoresses all of whom enjoyed the return visit to the Mayor’s Parlour. We learned of the most significant event in each of their terms of office.
There have been several launches of the Mayor’s Coffee at various hotels and cafes in the town. We have attended a Director’s lunch at J.P.Morgan, the Chairman’s lunch at AFC Bournemouth and a lunch at the Marriot for the partners in the Air Festival. Together with AFC Bournemouth a 2014 Calendar with photographs of the Cherries players was launched at the stadium by the Mayor in December.
The Special Olympians who went to Bath in the summer, were received at the Council Meeting in November in acknowledgement of their success. The Mayor also invited them, with their coaches and carers, to a reception in the Parlour where we were able to chat with them about their experiences. We noticed a marked increase in the self-confidence and general demeanour from the young people we ‘waved–off’ to Bath in July.
The Bournemouth Schools Carol Festival was held at the Pavilion in late November – this is an annual event which we had both attended in previous years as Councillors. It is very well organised with so many schools taking part with, at times, students singing in the aisles of the auditorium. The singing of the various school choirs was very good and there was some audience participation. We were joined at the performance by two Chinese visitors to Glenmore School who enjoyed and were impressed by the performance. Another memorable performance at the Pavilion was a ballet entitled ‘A Moment in Time’. This was presented by the Bournemouth dance schools and was enthralling throughout. There were scenes from significant episodes of recent history, each danced and choreographed brilliantly.
We attended several Christmas lunches and dinner parties as well as many Carol services and plays. The most memorable of the plays was the one held by the Langside School which is a school for severely disabled children. The staff produced a most entertaining play in Santa’s Grotto, complete with elves, and carefully brought the children into the play in their chairs.
Amongst all the Christmas events there was also the pre-view opening of the new Hengistbury Head Visitors Centre. The Centre though not quite ready to be fully opened was already excellent – I think the word these days is ‘awesome’. One could spend a lot of time there enjoying the many excellent exhibits. Another mentionable event was at the ETC English School where there was a celebration of the 42nd Anniversary of the Founding of the United Arab Emirates. Attending this function was an Arab Prince who is studying at Bournemouth University, the UAE Ambassador, several other representatives from the Embassy and also members of the UAE Police Force plus, of course, the students at the College. It was an interesting evening with a very tasty hot buffet, a presentation of plaques, a large cake and then lots of photographs. We were told that many of these photographs would be round the world before we got home!
We have held two Charity events for the Mayor’s charities. One was a quiz night, which a number of the members of the church attended. It was a ‘fun’ evening and the teams from RHSA won the top prize and the bottom prize. I am ashamed to say that the Mayoress’ team got the booby prize but at least we went home with wooden spoons! The second event was the Charity Lunch held at the East Cliff Court Hotel on 19th December, where we had a happy and enjoyable time.
All members of the church are invited to join us at any of the Mayor’s charity events and I will keep you informed of the dates and times as these are confirmed. The money raised at the events is for the following five Bournemouth charities:
BCHA: Specifically for shelter of the homeless in Bournemouth.
Diverse Abilities Plus: This charity supports physically and mentally disabled people throughout their life. It has a specialist school and a respite home in Bournemouth.
The Wessex Cancer Trust: This is a drop-in centre to offer support to relatives of those who have cancer. It co-operates with other cancer charities and fills the gaps not covered by others.
Steve Bernard Foundation Ltd: A sports orientated foundation for children and young adults. In its seven years of existence it has supported 160 projects for young people.
The Coda Fiddle Orchestra: Works with mainly disadvantaged children in Bournemouth offering the opportunity to learn to play the violin and ultimately to perform in public.
There were many other visits and events but there is not the space to write about them all so that’s all for now, except to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful New Year.
God Bless
Elaine Cooper
Mayor of Bournemouth 