The last couple of weeks have gone past in a blur. The last weekend in May was the annual twinning trip to Landisvisiau, which always proves to be a busy weekend and this year was no exception. Bidefordians including the Mayoress and I caught the Plymouth to Roscoff ferry on Friday and were hosted with families from the French town until our return trip on Monday.
A civic reception on Saturday morning at the Town Hall (where they had put out the Welcome Bideford Banner), allowed me to prove how bad my French was and present the Council with a replica of the Tarka the Otter statue that sits on Bideford Quay. A visit to the annual ComiCon “Geek Landi” was followed by an evening of food wine and karaoke, which rounded the day off. Sadly, Arsenal lost to Paris St Germain, so some friendly banter was aimed in my direction having included the phrase “Allez le Gunners” in my speech earlier.
Sunday included a picnic, a trip to a local abbey and another evening of food, singing and a little bit of dancing, Breton style. Hopefully the videos of my singing and dancing won’t surface, but we had a great time. A final lunch on Monday rounded off a weekend of friendship and hospitality. We look forward to the return trip in August when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Twinning Charter here in Bideford, which is already being celebrated at the Port Memorial in Bideford with a lovely flower display
On Thursday we had the formal introduction for my second term as Mayor of Bideford at the Baptist Church in Mill Street, Bideford. Citizens Awards were given to Rev Alan Glover and Lucy Lowe for their contribution to the community and I presented a cheque to my charity The RainBo Music Trust for £1800. The money will be split between the 3 Bideford Primary Schools for music education. A reception at The Royal Hotel was held after and the evening was a great success.
Sadly we had to take the decision on the evening to postpone the Bideford Fair due to a weather forecast of high winds and rain. It has now been re-scheduled to Saturday 8th August and will include all the original content plus a couple of extra surprises.
During my second term as Mayor, I would like to find a way of including more input from local residents, particularly the younger generation. Their input to any long term projects such as the Re-Generation program and the Pannier Market upgrade will be invaluable, as they are the generation who will most benefit from these improvements. Both Barnstaple and Torrington Mayors have similar aspirations to include the community, so hopefully we can work together.
We did however have an enjoyable afternoon on Sunday at the Massed Band Concert at RHS Rosemoor, where Appledore, Bideford and Torrington Brass Bands came together to perform. The sold out concert included pieces from The Lion King and Star Wars, as well as Taylor Swift’s Love Story.
With a full diary ahead my wife and I will be out and about promoting the town at various events, so if you have read any of my diaries so far then come and say hello. We are open to comments and suggestions about the town and will always feedback your thoughts to the office and full council.
