July News Bulletin: Mayor of St Albans
The Mayor of the City and District of St Albans, Cllr Rosemary Farmer, has been opening new council homes, welcoming a twinning delegation from Worms and presenting prizes to young athletes.
25 June – First major Council home development opened in 30 years
The Mayor has opened the first significant development of new homes to be built by St Albans City and District Council in 30 years. The 25 affordable homes in the Batchwood area of St Albans are a mix of one, two and three bedroom properties. The Mayor said: “I was honoured to open the first new council housing development in a generation. The homes are let at a social rent to people on the Council’s Housing Register and two have been specially adapted for people with disabilities.” The homes were built across three Council-owned garage sites that were no longer fit for purpose.
Pictured are (left to right): Richard Shwe, Deputy Chief Executive (Commercial and Development) at St Albans City and District Council; the Mayor, Cllr Rosemary Farmer; Cllr Brian Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Inclusion, and Karen Dragovic, Head of Housing.
25 June – Mayor welcomes town twinning delegation from Worms
A delegation from St Albans’ twin city of Worms was welcomed by the Mayor last week at St Albans City and District Council. The delegation then headed off for a tour of St Albans Museum + Gallery as part of their visit. Worms is one of the oldest cities in Germany and lies on the Rhine, south of Frankfurt. It has Celtic and Roman heritage and a historic city centre with architecture dating from the medieval period. The trip was organised by the St Albans Worms Partnership and followed an earlier visit to the German cathedral city. Information about St Albans’ twinning links is available online.
28 June – Mayor presents Special Olympics St Albans awards
Athletes from Special Olympics St Albans (SOSA) were presented with trophies and certificates by the Mayor at their annual awards night. Among the recipients was Ellouisa Brindley, known as Ellie, who is pictured below with the Mayor, Cllr Rosemary Farmer. Ellie was presented the Terry Carter Shield for swimming in recognition of her improvement and regular attendance at sessions. SOSA provides year-round sporting activities for people with a learning disability and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
1 July – Mayor hands out awards to young local boxers
Awards were presented by the Mayor to young boxers from St Albans Box Cleva at a celebration event for the Big Lottery-funded Hertfordshire’s Big Hit boxing project. The project funds 11 programmes at boxing clubs across Hertfordshire aimed at improving the skills and aspirations of young people. The awards event was hosted by the Herts Sports and Physical Activity Partnership at the University of Hertfordshire. It was attended by over 300 young boxers, their parents and former and current boxing champions, John Conteh MBE, Ted Cheeseman and Sean Murphy.
3 July – Mayor joins Rainbows for ‘EqualiTeas – Have your say’ event
Voting and democracy were among the topics of conversation when the Mayor met with the 9th St Albans (Abbey) Rainbows last week at St Albans Museum + Gallery’s courtroom café. They also chatted about the ceremonial role of Mayor while taking part in an EqualiTeas event to mark National Democracy Week. EqualiTeas are being held across the country to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act, which gave women the same voting rights as men.
7 July – Mayor to welcome visitors at Heartwood Forest festival
Visitors to Heartwood Forest’s Summer Festival will be greeted by the Mayor as they arrive to celebrate the 10th birthday of the largest continuous native forest in England. There will be a host of activities for all the family, including a Wildlife Zone, storytelling, face painting and a Teddy Bear’s Picnic competition being judged by the Mayor. You can try your hand at traditional woodland crafts or join in a meditation or yoga session at the Woodland Trust-owned forest. There will also be a dog show and a Heartwood Big Birthday Bake-off competition. Tickets for the event cost £4 for adults in advance and £6 for adults on the day. Under 12’s go free.
8 July – Mayor to join Wheathampstead Village Day parade
The Mayor will be joining a parade of carnival floats along Wheathampstead’s High Street to help kick off the Village Day fete at Marford Playing Fields. There will be stalls, activities and performances from various local acts for everyone to enjoy. More information is available at: https://wheathampstead-pc.gov.uk/
18 July – School talk on role of Mayor
Pupils from St Albans and Stephen School will receive a visit from the Mayor next week. Cllr Farmer will talk about the ceremonial role of the Mayor of the City and District of St Albans. She will also take tea with the school Council.
The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City and District of St Albans, Councillor Rosemary Farmer
Contact for the Mayor’s office:
Alison Orde, the Mayor’s Civic Officer
Tel: 01727 819544, Email: mayoralty@stalbans.gov.uk
Contact for the media:
Amanda Wilkinson, Senior Communications Officer, St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 819317, E-mail: amanda.wilkinson@stalbans.gov.uk
Note: More information about the Mayor is available on the website for St Albans City and District Council.