Waltham Forest Friendship Pilgrimage

On Saturday I was happy to be a part of the Friendship Pilgrimage.  This is an annual event organised by the Forest Women's Interfaith Network and involves a lot of walking - something which I need to do a lot more of in order to boost my weight loss!!  On a serious note though, the pilgrimage walk was open to everybody and brought people from all faiths together as they embarked on the walk which began at Leytonstone & Wanstead Synagogue at 9.00 a.m. and finished at Pahirakali Temple at 5.45 p.m.  En route, we visited different places of worship and it was a joy to see people from different faiths come together as one.   A big thank you to Tara Khare for organising the event.

 

Annual London Borough Mayors' Service

Pn Friday 21at June I was invited by the Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London to attend the Annual London Borough Mayors' Service at St Paul's Cathedral.  This was a formal occasion and it was an honour for me to be there.  It was an honour also for me to be accompanied by Councillor Richard Sweden, Mayor of Waltham Forest 2012/2013.  After the Service, we were all invited to join the Lord Mayor at a reception at Mansion House which gave me the opportunity meet other Mayors, past and present.   

Tour & presentation – LondonWaste Limited

On Thursday 20 June I was invited to meet the Managing Director of LondonWaste Limited, David Sargent. Along

with our my fellow Mayors from neighbouring boroughs, namely Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey

and Islington, we were given an insight into the disposal of waste.  So armed with our hard hats and high visibility jackets we were taken on a tour of the EcoPark.  Here, we were introduced to both the Compost Centre and the Energy Centre.  It was interesting to see how much hard work and effort is put into making our towns cleaner and healthier places to live in. 

After the tour we received speeches from John Boast, Chairman of LondonWaste Limited and David Sargent.   After the speeches we were all presented with a cheque in the sum of £1000 for our chosen charities.  We were all very grateful everybody at LondonWaste for taking time out of their hectic schedules to present us with our cheques.  I am sure I speak for all my fellow mayors when I say that this means a lot to us!  Thank you very much!

Boxing Coach Session - Barry McGuigan Boxing Academy

To launch my 'Pounds4Pounds' weight loss programme, I visited the Barry McGuigan Boxing Academy at Leyton Sixth Form College on the 13th May, with Cllr Ahsan Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing. I had the pleasure of meeting Sandra McGuigan, Shane McGuigan and Carl Frampton, a professional boxer who is the current holder of the Commonwealth Super-Bantamweight championship!  The BMBA works closely with local communities to promote and provide education, training, advice and guidance on how to improve health and fitness. I was very privileged to participate in a boxing session. This was a great “kick start” to my weight loss programme as I was really put through my paces! A big thank you to everybody for giving me the opportunity to rediscover boxing and the benefits it brings! 

My Visit To The Tate Modern

 



This Tuesday I attended a screening of ‘It’s All About Me’ at the Tate Modern. I was joined by the Chief Executive, Cllr Geoff Hammond and Cllr Angie Bean, Cabinet Member for Adults.  This film was shown as part of Learning Disabilities Week and was produced by one of our service users.  The film was both brilliant and inspiring and it gave me a real insight into what life was like for someone with learning disabilities.    Congratulations to our service user and the Adult Social Care Team for helping with the production of this film!

Greenleaf Baptist Church Fun-Day

On Saturday I was invited to attend the Fun-day at Greenleaf Baptist Church. The theme of the Fun-day was to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of The Queen's Coronation. There were many activities and stalls set up for the local community to enjoy including a bouncy castle, tasty looking BBQ (I resisted!), Queen's Coronation display area, and craft and games stalls. I spent time meeting and talking with those who had come from the local community to enjoy the day. I was very impressed with the volunteers who were working very hard on the various stools available.

Later in the day I joined everyone in the Main Hall, where there were lots of game stalls, crafts and other items for sale. I was welcomed by the event organiser, Brenda Drummond and Rev Adeline Warburton who asked me to judge and award the children's 'Make a crown' competition, which was very tough as they were all very good! I then gave a speech giving thanks to the brilliant organisers of the Fun-day and thanking the local community for their attendance on the big day together. These occasions help the local community to join together in its diversity to enjoy a time of celebration together.