It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update and during that time we’ve witnessed a very definite change in seasons.  Summer has given way to autumn, rainy days have made a return, the new academic year has commenced.  All this together has led to quite a few of us coughing, sneezing and generally feeling under the weather.  Hence, it’s been a patchy couple of weeks for me and I’m only just getting round to writing an update now.

However, over the past couple of weeks there’s been some things to celebrate.  Last Friday I joined hundreds of people at a Groundbreaking Ceremony to mark the start of Therme’s construction.  Therme is an exciting and very significant project located next to the Trafford Centre- and something we’ve not quite seen before in this country.  The current wasteland will be transformed by 2028 and in the meantime you can learn more here.  I also joined representatives from Irwell Valley and Linear Living to celebrate the completion of Botanical Avenue on Talbot Road.  It was good to see this high-quality and affordable housing ready to welcome new residents.  There’s already been a high level of interest in this development- a sign that we need to continue prioritising as much affordable housing as we can across Trafford.

There’s also been things to commemorate and heritage to celebrate.  I’ve made two visits to Sale Town Hall in the past week.  The first was to participate in our annual Battle of Britain Service, where our local cadets did a brilliant job.  I was then back on Saturday to enjoy a Heritage Open Day organised by our brilliant Local Studies team.  I really enjoyed looking through photos of Sale from years gone by and viewing some recently digitised footage of Sale from the late 1950s.

I’ve attended meetings covering both Adult and Children’s Services.  This included attending our monthly Improving Lives Everyday Board, where we review the improvements we’re making to our Adult Services.  I also chaired our Ambitions for Children Board where partners from Health, Education and our teams at Trafford Council come together as we continue to strive to make sure every child has the best start in life.

I enjoyed meeting up with Trafford’s Youth Cabinet once again to hear first-hand from our younger residents.  Amongst other things, we discussed votes at 16, the Online Safety Act and job opportunities.  It was also great to welcome our new cohort of young people onto our Trafford Council Supported Internship Scheme.  This is the third group of people to join the programme, and I look forward to seeing and hearing how they get on with roles across the council! In my role as a trustee, I also attended the September meeting of HomeStart in Altrincham.

I’ve been out on the doorstep in my own ward with my colleagues Jane and Steve, taking on board issues and concerns residents wish to raise. We’ve also received updates on our new Stretford Town Centre and the sequencing of businesses moving into the new units.  I also attended a meeting with residents at Stretford House, with Jane and I following up on several matters raised with us.  Our meeting coincided with a stunning sunset we viewed from the community room on the 23^rd floor.

Finally, the most important occasion this week was Denise Western’s funeral held at Altrincham Crematorium.  It was no surprise that so many people attended the service as Denise was loved by so many.  Denise’s family ensured that we all had an opportunity to remember and reflect on our own recollections of our friend and colleague.  We also had the chance to learn about other aspects of her life we were not as familiar with.  Her son, Andrew, delivered a brilliant eulogy, a very emotional and powerful tribute to his mother.