On 4th February I was privileged to attend a concert by the Royal Marines Band. They played a splendid set of popular and stirring pieces.
On 19th February I attended the annual pancake race in Beverley which was a fun filled family event.
On 23rd February I attended a pub quiz at the Dog and Duck Beverley to raise funds for a local guide dogs training organisation. We raised quite a lot of money and a good time was had by all.
25th February saw me continuing my support for Fair Trade in East Yorkshire, by attending an event at Toll Gavel Church in Beverley. Fair Trade is alive and well in East Yorkshire despite the financial woes of the Traidcraft company which supplies many local outlets. I was heartened to see that the Co Op hopes to step in and help to continue the fair trade network’s good work.
I also attended a small event and bought some raffle tickets to help to raise some money for the Turkey Earthquake Appeal which is trying to help the beleaguered people affected by the terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
On 1st March the Mayor and I attended the election of the Beverley Pasture Masters, a traditional event held every year in Beverley GuildHall. It was a fascinating ritual to observe and several tourists were also there to see the proceedings.
On 2nd March we saw the Awards Night of the Mayor of Beverley where many local people received awards for their selfless dedication to community. The evening was very well produced and attended, and featured the talents of local actor Gordon Meredith and musicians.
On 5th March I attended the High Sheriff’s Judicial Service event at Beverley Minster. Traditional dress prevailed at the event!
On 23rd March myself and the Mayor of Beverley attended the screening of the promotional film for the Beverley ‘Two Churches, One Town’ project. This project seeks to raise funds for the upkeep of the two great parish churches in Beverley – St Mary’s and the Minster. Many millions of pounds are needed to maintain these churches and the message of the film was that we cannot take these great churches for granted. If we do not look after them they might not be open to future generations.
There were more civic services and in particular the services at Hedon and Hull were very memorable. I always enjoy visiting the small but beautiful Hedon Town Hall or the large and impressive Hull City Hall.
The holders of civic positions usually change every year so there is a certain pleasure in attending these events and a certain poignancy in that many of the people in the picture above we may not meet again. The meal at the Hull Guildhall was excellent as usual.
The last event of the civic year was Beverley’s own civic service. It was held in Beverley Minster and we were able to show off this marvellous historic church.
And so we reach the end of the civic calendar for 2023. I hope you have enjoyed my blog post. Remember most towns in the East Riding only host one civic service and dinner event each year, so it is not as if we are spending huge amounts of money on these events. They provide an opportunity for elected representatives to network and discuss common problems and solutions, and for elected representatives to meet religious and business leaders.
I am signing off now from local civic life, as Linda has stood down from the position of Mayor, as is customary after a year or two in the job.
