It is Volunteers’ Week, and we are very lucky in Trafford to have so many people who give their time to help others. There are more than 1,600 voluntary and community groups across the borough, and about 34,000 people volunteer. There are lots of different ways to get involved, from helping people in need to looking after our local environment. Volunteers make a huge difference, adding around £139 million to Trafford’s economy, which is an amazing amount. On Monday, I went to the Volunteers’ Fair at Sale Library, where I met many local volunteers and organisations doing great work.
Back at the Town Hall in Stretford, I took part in several meetings with our new executive team. This included catch-up meetings with Keleigh Glenton and Barry Winstanley, who are both new to the executive this year. Barry’s role includes work on the local Bee Network, promoting nature, and exploring clean energy initiatives. Keleigh will focus on community safety and protection. I know they will both do an excellent job in their new roles.
Our new Mayor, Simon Thomas, and Deputy Mayor, Joanne Harding, have also had a busy start to the new year. Jo joined me at the Volunteers’ Fair, and later in the week she attended a blue plaque unveiling. This plaque honours Gyani Sundar Singh Sagar, who lived part of his life in Old Trafford. He was a scholar and social activist who worked hard to bring positive change. One of his achievements helped Sikh bus conductors wear turbans as part of their uniform in Manchester. He also helped change laws about crash helmets. The event was very special, and it was lovely to meet members of his family, who were rightly very proud.
Later that day, I joined the Mayor at Waterside Arts in Sale to watch a new play called Clothes Swap. It was a great show that gave new artists a chance to perform. The play shared an important message about being kind, understanding others, and showing tolerance. The audience really enjoyed it, and I hope it continues to do well. It was also the Waterside’s first in-house production, which I’m very proud of.
At the end of the week, I attended a fundraising dinner with the Mayor as part of Sale Festival. The event had a Doctor Who theme. Although I do not usually watch the show (apologies to any massive Dr Who fans out there), I did recognise the special guest, Sylvester McCoy, who was Dr Who when I was much younger. It was a fun evening, Sylvester was very gracious with his time, and I am sure people will enjoy meeting him at Sale Comic Con over the weekend.
I also visited Sale again to attend the first Corporate Parenting Board meeting of the year. It is now chaired by George Devlin, who is the member of the executive responsible for children and young people. We talked about important topics such as stopping smoking, mental health support, and education and training opportunities for young people. I was pleased to see so many people there on behalf of different agencies supporting collective efforts to do our best for care experienced and looked after children and young people across Trafford.
Finally, back in Stretford, earlier in the week I joined my colleague Jane at the latest Stretford Town Centre Forum meeting. We heard updates about the recent StretFest and plans for future events. There was also news about the town centre, including the opening of GRUB later this month. It is great to see so much interest in the area, and I look forward to seeing more new shops and businesses opening soon.