WE ARE truly blessed and privileged to be living in such a brilliant city. I am, of course, humbled and honoured on so many levels to represent Worcester.
We have had a great year. There has been so much going on across the city. Worcester Stands Tall, the St Richard’s Hospice giraffe trail, brought joy to thousands. The Freedom of the City was posthumously awarded to Basil D’Oliveira for his role in the breakdown of apartheid in South Africa. Worcestershire won the coveted T20 cricket trophy!
The moving Armistice Day service saw thousands lining our streets to remember the fallen. And I have been personally very pleased to see people engaging in the theme for my year as Mayor, Love not Hate.
In most of the speeches I give as Mayor I say that we are one of the best cities to live in, in terms of happiness, quality of life and politeness, and also because we are one of the safest cities in the UK. Of course, we still have our issues, as does every city in the UK. We face challenges over air quality, homelessness, rough sleeping, the reliance of some of our residents on foodbanks, the level of hate crime, mental health issues among our young, dementia, and the loneliness of our elderly.
I pray that as we enjoy the festivities in this holiday period we spare a thought for our neighbours, for the elderly, for the lonely and for those who are homeless or are sleeping rough. I want to encourage everyone in our city to Love not Hate, to be grateful and thankful, and to share what we can to help those less fortunate than us.
Coun Jabba Riaz, Mayor of Worcester
