Ambition in amazing abundance

Some readers will recall that I set the theme of my Mayoral year as being all about ambition. Over the course of the last few months I have been looking for every opportunity to praise, support and celebrate ambition in everyone I meet. Last week I had this in bucketfuls as I sat in on all the graduation ceremonies of the University of Buckingham. Julie and I were simply entranced and delighted to see and applaud every single graduand become a graduate as they shook hands with the Vice Chancellor.

Being there, gave me the opportunity to get to know the University staff and students even more and continue the building the relationship between 'town and gown'. We are already cooking up some ideas around civic engagement: watch this space!

One thing to note is that some of the shoes worn by the graduates were amazing! Many of students sought to highlight their style and individuality (underneath the same academic gown & mortar board being worn by all) with some shoes ranging from DM boots to a pair of shoes that looked like a small discotheque!

It was a big commitment of my time but I know from feedback from the VC and his colleagues that the 'gown' very much appreciated the presence of the 'town' at these ceremonies - to celebrate ambition and aspiration.

One final note: please don't presume that all the graduates are young people in their twenties. Many - and I mean many - of the graduates were a good deal older. Our University is very much a place for lifelong learning. So... if you were thinking of studying for a degree whether you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or even 80's... do have a look at the opportunities available to you on your doorstep!

Our commonwealth

On Monday morning, I raised the Commonwealth Flag next to the community centre. It was a moving moment for me, as the Commonwealth embodies so much of what I believe in, as indeed described by the Secretary General:

By working together in practical ways in our local communities, and by interacting and cooperating across national boundaries, we build and sustain a more strongly connected Commonwealth that is mutually respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous and that cherishes equality of opportunity and inclusiveness.

Our Town Crier introduced the event in his usual amazing style!

And I then read the statement from The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, the Commonwealth Secretary-General

And then just before I hoisted the flag, I read the Commonwealth Affirmation:

“Joining together as members of one worldwide

Commonwealth community, and valuing the personal dignity

and worth of every citizen, we raise this flag as a symbol of

the ties of kinship and affinity that we cherish. We draw

inspiration from our diversity, and the opportunities for

working together, as a rich source of wisdom and a powerful

influence for good in the world. We affirm our commitment

to upholding the values set out in the Commonwealth

Charter, to serving one another in a spirit of respect and

understanding, and to advancing development, democracy

and cooperation locally, nationally and internationally.”

(Thanks to Amanda for the organisation and these pics and to Katharine for helping me get prepared)

Town & Gown vision

On Monday morning (12/3/18) I was invited to address a 100 or so staff of the University at the Radcliffe Centre. It was a great honour to do so. Here is what I said:

Thank you for inviting me here today to share some brief thoughts with you about the future of our Town. I will apologise now that I will have to leave swiftly after my allotted time as I have a Commonwealth Flag to hoist as today is Commonwealth Day. I am hoping that some of the students and staff from Commonwealth countries around the world will be joining us down by the Community Centre at 9.45am.

But to return to the subject in hand:

For more than 40 years, I have lived in towns and cities, where a significant feature of the place has been the University. I have lived and loved living in Reading, Oxford and now here in Buckingham. And one of the main reasons I have loved living in these places is due to the presence of a university.

For me, here in Buckingham, the university provides melodies, harmonies and rhapsodies in our Town’s symphony. These complement, of course, the music provided by Buckingham’s local communities, commerce, history, architecture, culture, sport and all the vibrations that come with a growing and dynamic market town.

The question is now: what even better music can be made by the ‘Town and Gown’ working in even greater harmony together? How can we make the Buckingham symphony an even richer composition that makes our Town an even better place in which to live, work, study, play, visit.. and grow?

As many of you know, the Vice Chancellor and I went on a road trip a couple of weeks ago to Aberystwyth and Bangor to find out how those two (broadly comparable) towns managed their ‘town & gown’ relations. We went in search of what worked, what didn’t and their ideas about what we could do to improve matters here in Buckingham.

And when I say, improve, I absolutely mean: build on all the existing the ways in which town and gown are already working together. There is no criticism implied whatsoever - just so I make myself clear.

And we found out lots and lots. We discovered how the arts provide a fulcrum for joint working. We learnt about how students & lecturers volunteer and do research in various communities of those two towns. We found out about how the presence of a large student body helped protect local services from losing viability. We were also told about some of the problematic issues like noise, rubbish and parking. There are ceremonial attachments between the offices of the Towns and the Universities. There is a great deal of shared sport: the community power of students, staff and residents sweating together, side by side, is never to be underestimated!

So we both returned with a renewed focus and energy on how to develop the relationship between town and gown. Tonight, I am taking a paper to the Town Council on all these matters. I hope the TC will agree to my recommendation that a small but dynamic joint planning team is established which will provide a platform for taking all these ideas forward.

And I would urge everyone here this morning, to consider what more ways are there that the University and the local communities of Buckingham can work together for sake of everyone here. How can you go out to the town more - and how can the town come here more too.

My vision for the Buckingham is one in which town and gown are much more than just happenchance neighbours sharing the same geographical space - I want a deep intricate symbiosis of all parts of the University and all parts of the town - where we all become so much more than the mere sum of our parts.

And so I am greatly looking forward to being part of your graduation ceremonies this week, celebrating the achievements of your students. And by being here, I am also praising your expertise as teachers and administrators towards helping those students realise their educational ambitions.

And may you continue to provide the opportunities for people to learn, realise ambitions and make dreams for better lives and a better world come true.

On behalf of the town, thank you for doing this! And let’s do even more together!

NSPCC: helping children speak out and stay safe

I popped into Buckingham Primary School this morning to visit a workshop being run by the NSPCC to help children avoid abuse. Before I became Mayor, I spent a lot of my spare time, working as a volunteer for the NSPCC running these "speak out stay safe" workshops and assemblies. It was a delight this morning to catch up with some of my NSPCC colleagues and meet the new Headteacher of the school. And of course the children were wonderful: it was great to hear what they had learnt from the assembly that they had yesterday. 

The NSPCC work with local schools - here in Buckingham and all round the country:

Helping a generation of children stay safe 
Our Speak out Stay safe programme gives a generation of children the knowledge and understanding they need to stay safe from abuse and neglect. Pupils are taught to speak out if they are worried, either to a trusted adult or to Childline.

This is why I am raising money for the NSPCC along with the Youth Club and UNICEF - children need education, support and care so that they live full and happy lives. (And don't forget the Mayor's Charity Ball on 24/3/18! Click here for more information) And... please join me, the High Sheriff and the University Vice Chancellor this Sunday (18/3/18) for a walk around town discussing what more can be done to ensure young people have good mental health and well being. Information here.

Here is the NSPCC team for Buckingham School for today: Kelly Middleditch (NSPCC Schools Service - Area Coordinator) on the left and Frances Powell (Volunteer) and Buddy. And in between are Naima France (the Headteacher) and myself. (Kelly coordinates a team of about 30 volunteers covering MK, Bucks and West Berks)

Thanks to Laura Gibbs the School Administrator who took this pic

Ahoy! What a glorious evening!

The Brackley Mayor invited us to his ceilidh last night and we went along. I must admit my expectations were not exactly high: public dancing to someone else's instructions has, in the past, resulted more in frustration than pleasure. But last night was very different! Despite my general early caution, it was an occasion of delightful abandon and slightly organised chaos with a bunch of very friendly people!

We had 'stripping the willow' and the 'lover's knot' and all manner of do-si-do's and arches etc! Pure simple fun, raising money for the local Sea Scouts (the Mayor's chosen charity) with lots of laughter and trodden toes! We even had some sea shanties!

So well done Cllr Don Thompson, Mayor of Brackley for organising such a fab evening. Thanks!

And here is Don, the Mayor, playing us a sea shanty.

There were probably around 70 people there last night.

Raising money for Brackley Sea Scouts

Fairtrade 2020!

This morning, at the beginning of Fairtrade fortnight, I and the Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr Mark Cole, presented the new certificate celebrating Buckingham being a Fairtrade Town for another 2 years to Cllr Margaret Gateley who has worked very hard with her colleagues to obtain this accolade. Our Town Crier was on on hand to herald this achievement!

Buckingham first became a Fairtrade Town in 2007. Well done to all the Town's 'fairtraders' and the volunteers who support them.

Here is the certificate itself and display surrounding it.

I also helped the local group achieve the 90Kg challenge by buying 2 bags of Fairtrade rice. If 90 bags are sold, one young person will get to go to school for a whole year. Look out for some of the bags near you!

And if you want to know more about Fairtrade and how you can become a Fairtrade trader or supporter, please visit these pages. The more we can all do to encourage positive trade with poorer countries, the more we will all win: the entrepreneurs in those countries, us here in Buckingham and the wider economy. It all makes sense!

Very well baked!

A couple of weeks ago, Julie and I had the hard task of eating cake (yes more cake) to help judge the 'Junior Bake-off' competition organised by Project Streetlife (Steven Tayfield in particular) with assistance from the Buckingham WI. There were some very strict rules to ensure a level playing field. And we used the rules to help judge the cakes. So we were looking for appearance, taste, technique and the fact that the cakes had followed these rules.

Here is a pic of all the amazing cakes we had to sample and judge. And what an amazing array it was!

Of course, we were there to judge winners but all the cakes were fabulous and we had a hard time choosing. The judges were: Victoria from Victoria Sponge, Oli George (a former winner), a lady from the WI who stepped in at the last moment (and I do not yet have her name - anyone?) due to possible conflict of interest for the WI President, Julie the Mayoress and myself.

The winner was Alex Adams from Gawcott aged 10 (second left). The 2nd place went to James Keer (second right) from Buckingham and 3rd place went to Ellina Hickman from Silverstone (on the far right). And here they are. Well done everyone!

And all this was part of the Food Fair organised by the Town Council - which was bigger and busier than last year. Here's to the next one in 2019!

Happy 10th Birthday BAFA

Buckingham Art For All (BAFA) began 10 years ago and they had a birthday party last Friday night. Julie and I were invited to cut the cake for them. And what a lovely occasion it was: so wonderful to celebrate the joy and colour that BAFA bring to Buckingham! (Thanks Emily Pool for the pic)

BAFA describes itself thus:

Whatever our level of expertise and talent we are always learning.  

As Pablo Picasso said "the artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web".

So how do you get onto this road of learning?

At Bafa we want to

• Nurture our members with constant encouragement
• Create an environment where it is safe to seek help from other members
• Where constructive criticism is offered not belittlement, whatever the standard
• Share our expertise by helping others.

So if you have not painted for years or the last time you held a paintbrush was when you were nine years old, or you would just like to learn a little about art: BAFA could well be for you. I can testify they are a delightful and welcoming bunch of people: friendships are made and tips on painting are exchanged! (Contact details here)

Here is Peter Baker and Julie sharing a smile. Peter was one of he founding members of BAFA.

HRH The Duke of Kent opens new UoB Academic Centre at MK University Hospital

On Tuesday 20 February, I was invited to take part in the opening of the new University of Buckingham (UoB) Academic Centre at MK University Hospital. As many of you know, the UoB started the first private medical school about 4 years ago after many years gestation. This building will now provide fantastic facilities for the student doctors based up in Milton Keynes.

HRH The Duke of Kent was kind enough to do the official opening and here he is with the Vice Chancellor, Sir Anthony Seldon as he gives the welcoming address. It is a fabulous building and I wish all the students great success as they move towards graduation sometime soon! (Local news coverage here)

Being shown around the building

His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin, Sultan Ruling Family, Abu Dhabi is in the foreground and behind him is the Mayor of MK, Cllr David Hopkins and The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, Peter Kara esq.

Town & Gown partnership

Last weekend, Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and I went on a research road trip to Aberystwyth and Bangor to find out from those two university towns (of a similar size to ours) about how they manage the partnership between the town residents and the university (students and staff). We were met by lovely people in both places including the mayors, some town councillors, senior managers of the universities and others. It was fascinating and we learnt lots.

I have just written a report for the full Council which will be discussed on 12 March. Once it is on the agenda, I will upload a link here. Meanwhile, I am aware that Sir Anthony is talking with his colleagues about the implications of the learning to University business. We are both of the view that there is much more to do that could enhance the benefits all round to students, residents, staff and beyond. Watch this space!

Meanwhile here are some pics of our visits to Aberystwyth and Bangor.

In Aberystwyth we met with Dr Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for
External Engagement, Cllr Steve Davies, Mayor of Aberystwyth, Cllr Talat Chaudhri, Deputy Mayor of Aberystwyth, Cllr Sue Jones-Davies, Town Councillor and former Mayor of Aberystwyth, Dr Debra Croft, Manager of CWPESI, Caryl Davies, Director of Student Support Services, Rachel Hubbard, Aberystwyth Sports Centre, Jim Wallace, Director of Campus and Commercial Services. And I am enormously grateful to them all for their insights and hospitality. And indeed, I think they got something from inquiry as it made them reflect on all of what they were doing too.

In Bangor we had two meetings with the first being with  Ian Jones (Town Clerk), PVC Prof Jerry Hunter (Pro Vice Chancellor of Welsh Medium and Civic Engagement), and Derek Hainge (Mayor of Bangor). Here we all are.

Later on we met the Vice Chancellor, Professor John Hughes. Here he is talking with Sir Anthony. Both meetings were enormously useful and I am hugely grateful to the time they all gave us, especially Jerry who is an American and fluent in Welsh. Most impressive!

Both University campuses feature brilliant arts centres. Here are a couple of pics of the one at Bangor which bridges the university and town by wrapping itself round a hill. A stunning building and we were fortunate to see a concert by The Gentle Good in the evening. This was a sublime fusion of Welsh and Chinese folk music.

One of the windows in The Pontio overlooking the town and Menai Straits.

Looking down through five floors of innovation, entertainment, performance and study spaces!

The Gentle Good playing "The Immortal Bard". Wonderful and a great way to round off the trip before travelling home on Saturday morning.

Story telling at Hamilton House

Last Thursday, Hamilton House hosted their "Celebration of Story Telling" and I was called upon to act as judge for the paintings and fancy dress costumes which formed the afternoon of entertainment for the residents, several related children and the staff of course. It was delightful and I enjoyed some fabulous cake and squash, whilst chatting with the residents and staff. And below is the story I read out which was composed around all the ideas from the residents. Wonderful!

I also had the great pleasure of visiting former Mayor, Hedley Cadd who now lives in Hamilton House. It was wonderful to catch up with him and hear some of his stories of the time when he was Mayor. 

And here are several photographs taken by Charlotte Fenton, the Recreation & Leisure Co-ordinator which successfully captured the warmth, controlled chaos and colour of the afternoon. Thanks to her, all the staff and all the residents, of course, for their welcome. There is such a friendly, family atmosphere in Hamilton House! 

The three little pigs...

And the big bad wolf

Reading out the story

Awarding one of the prizes (best drawing)

Once upon a time, story (with resident's contributions)

The number 60 bus from Buckingham came round the corner. They were all off to see the Wizard of Oz pantomime. On The bus was an old Greek lady doing her knitting, her grandson carrying a teddy bear and a colouring book, a young man on his own with the dog, and several children from the local primary school, with colouring books and crayons.

The bus was on an excursion, eventually ending up at the performance of the Wizard of Oz, but stops are planned for coffee, lunch, and a visit to spooky woods in the afternoon before getting to the theatre in the evening.

At the coffee stop, the children played with the ball, and had squash and jelly biscuits on the village green, which was provided by the old lady doing her knitting. The sun came out from the clouds and shone brightly on the last few daffodils, and snowdrops. There was a church with the bells ringing out as there was to be a wedding that afternoon there. The church clock struck 11. The old lady, a young man with a dog, and the children got back on the bus.

The lunch top was planned for Woburn Safari Park. The old lady and young man escorted the children into the Safari Park. They were very excited and wanted to see all the animals, particularly a beautiful Jersey cow, several elephants that never forget some bright yellow canaries, a white rabbit, and several dormice, an octopus and a tortoise. Being the autumn there was a lot of gorse in flower. They had a picnic lunch, sandwiches, biscuits, chocolate, and ice cream.

They got back in the bus, and journeyed to the spooky wood. On the way, the Greek lady fell asleep and dreamt of her journey across Europe to Paris. The young man with the dog got out his crossword book and started solving clues. Magic flowers and elves inhabited the wood. There was a brook leading to a lake with fairies, and one fairy with only one wing - she had lost the other one somewhere. There was a ginger cat by the lake sitting watching the plentiful goldfish, ready to pounce. Nearby stalked a peacock with all its feathers up, but this was too much of a challenge for the cat so he remained by the pool. There was a garden by the lake with wild roses, white and pink. The children played a game of football by the lake, before getting out their computer tablets and playing on them.

Finally, it was time to board the bus again to set off at Aylesbury to see the Wizard of Oz. They all sang God Save the Queen as the curtains opened.

100,000+ !!

Thank you. This blog has now been browsed over 100k times.

I will continue to blog about my journey as the Town Mayor of Buckingham, letting people know about what I am doing for and on behalf of the town. Thanks again for reading!

Just too wet!! (But with a good ending!)

This morning was scheduled to be the annual Pancake Race organised by the Town Council on the town green next to the parish church. But sadly, even though it was (almost) sunny at the start time of 11am, it had been raining too much all morning. The ground was very wet and it was judged by the Town Council officers that it was going to be just too risky to allow youngsters to race with frying pans. Everyone was sad... including me and Russell, the Town Crier...

It was just too wet...

But, I waited around and then enjoyed the Buckingham Parish Church Pancake party which was very popular! There must have been around 150 children and their parents / carers / grandparents on top of that. Here is the impressive team of pancake makers who did a brilliant job of feeding the masses!

Well done to the Parish Church for organising this: a great idea!

RAF Croughton Winter Reception

Julie and I were welcomed by our USAF hosts at Croughton last night along with many other local civic leaders from Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. There were representatives from both RAF Croughton (headed by Colonel Eric P Oliver, Commander of the 442nd Air Base Group) and RAF Alconbury (headed by Colonel William H Kale III, Commander of the 501st Combat Support Wing) present.

I had some fascinating conversations including with one of their chaplains and one of their physicists. Julie and I also had a lovely chat with the Deputy civilian commander of the base and his wife about how much lovelier it is to be here than in the USAF airbase in eastern Turkey a couple of years ago

Naturally, I spent some of my time persuading those whom I talked with to come and visit Buckingham, and the Old Gaol as a rich cornucopia of local artefacts and historical items. Indeed several of the senior officers live in in the town already and we may well be welcoming many more as more USAF officers, staff and their families arrive over the next couple of years.

And it was good to catch up with the Mayor of Brackley (we are off to his Ceilidh in a couple of weeks time) and the Mayor of Bicester and his wife. 

Reuniting treasures

This morning, I met the team of police officers and staff who are working methodically and meticulously to reunite the stolen property found a few days ago, with their owners. Indeed Sgt Nick Perks (second from the right) said it has been good to phone people up and tell them their tool has been recovered and would they like it back sometime soon?

Nick the local problem solving sergeant, has been leading the operation to tackle the tool thefts. As a former tradesman himself, he knows how important the gear is to the people who had the items stolen. (It also means he can identify some of the more exotic and complicated items that have been discovered!)

Good solid police work managed to uncover the stolen property near to Buckingham a week ago which led them to find some more containers full of stuff in Milton Keynes a couple of days later. (Fortunately, the MK police are sorting out that haul, as our local bobbies have run out of space as you can see in the photograph!)

Supt Tim Metcalf (on the right of the pic) explained that some of the items are clearly counterfeit too which will lead them to a whole new line of inquiry on this fraudulent activity as well. He reckons that currently they have about £100k+ worth of gear to work their way through. Some of the individual items are worth hundreds if not thousands each. He is optimistic that the people they have arrested will receive custodial sentences. Indeed, both Tim and Nick will be tracking down victim statements that will be read out in court in order to explain the impact on people's lives of these crimes. This will influence the sentences issued. (in my view, the thieves deserve to have the full force of the justice system brought to bear on them.) The police also hope to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover money from the convicted felons too, in the fullness of time.

This was not just a local haul either. Some of the items recovered have come from miles away including (for example) Bridgend in South Wales.

I left the team working hard on this investigation. They asked me to make it clear that they will do their level best to make sure that as many of the items are returned to their owners as possible. Of course, this is not helped if there are no identifying marks on the equipment.

So the message is: if you have such equipment - please, please make sure you have marked it in some way (with a UV pen or scratched it etc) with your name / business name / phone number / post code etc. And/or keep a record of the serial numbers - just a photo on a phone will do.

And, if people are buying second hand gear from car boot sales - be careful that you are not buying counterfeit items. If the price is too good to be true... the price is probably too good to be true...!

And don't forget the public meeting next week in the Library - in Verney Close of course!

The Society of Local Council Clerks

I had the pleasure of attending a regional training day run by the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) up at Whittlebury Golf Clubhouse. The SLCC is the professional body for clerks to local parish and town councils. They offer a wide range of services including qualifications in clerking as well as access to advice on whole range of legal and insurance matters.

Chris Wayman (Buckingham Town Clerk) and I had been invited to present to the 80 or so delegates about our experience of mounting the health festival last year. But the day was jam packed with useful guidance and support for town and parish clerks. I was surrounded with clerks from Bletchley, Stoney, Thame, Princess Risborough, Aylesbury and so forth. Here is the agenda we were given:

It was great day for me: networking and learning a little more about the world of local council clerking.

Here are the slides from the presentation that Chris and I gave (with grateful thanks to Sam Hoareau who was the TC officer who coordinated the festival and prepared many of the slides). If you click this link, it will take you to a pdf of all the slides.