Mayor’s Corner – August Edition

It’s been a busy summer holiday for the Mayor, here’s what she has been up to in the past month.

Great Yorkshire Show & Local Business

What a busy month it’s been! In July, I was able to attend the Great Yorkshire Show as a member. What a success it was! The weather was glorious and the ‘mini high street’ featured by Harrogate BID was an absolute triumph.

I loved attending every day of the Show this year, despite juggling meetings and celebrating my wedding anniversary. Watching John Whitaker win the Cock O’ The North, having first won it 50 years ago, was fantastic. I also enjoyed catching up with many local residents and businesses throughout the week.

Later in the summer, I attended the annual social hosted by Harrogate BID and the Chamber of Commerce at Harrogate Brewing Co. It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues and local businesses, and I also opened the new wine terrace at Ake & Humphries on Leeds Road.

Community & Family Events

At the end of July, I attended the Ashfield Court Care Home Annual Family Barbecue before heading to Starbeck for the Grand Opening of the new Camwal Playground. The play area is a testament to the hard work of the local community, and it was wonderful to see families enjoying the new equipment.

Community events continued throughout the summer, including the The Granby Community Connections Fair Event, Bilton Community Centre Open Day and North Yorkshire Connected Spaces’ Dene Park Family Fun Day. It was a pleasure to meet residents, chat with local partners and see so many people enjoying these events. I even managed to win a cake in the raffle at Bilton Community Centre, which was later enjoyed by my work colleagues!

Charity & Community Support

I was delighted to attend Vision Support Harrogate District’s Fashion Show and Secondhand Clothing Sale, where I even managed to add two dresses to the mayoral collection.

I was also persuaded to host a tea party for St Michael’s Hospice and later attended Charity Car Sunday at the Police Treatment Centre. At the end of the month, I was filmed for a project aimed at supporting patients and families living with dementia, so watch this space for more information.

Culture, Arts & Entertainment

The summer brought several fantastic cultural events. I attended the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival where I was thrilled to meet Steph McGovern and chat with Val McDermid. I also discovered I share a birthday with the winning author, Elly Griffiths, and her editor, which of course resulted in a few selfies!

I had the pleasure of introducing the White Rose Concert Bands’ 50th Anniversary at the Valley Gardens, whose performance was greatly appreciated by those enjoying the sunshine. I attended Harrogate Theatre’s Autumn Season Launch and later enjoyed the incredible Ibiza Symphonica event at the Great Yorkshire Showground. Congratulations to Harrogate Theatre and everyone involved.

Young People, Sport & Achievement

I was honoured to present the Junior Cricket Awards in Spofforth and later the Harrogate KTA Summer Taekwondo Kup Grading, awarding taekwondo belts to students at Rossett Sports Centre. It was inspiring to see such dedication, discipline and achievement from our young people.

I also took part in a spin class at Beckwith Gym, which was certainly a sweaty but enjoyable experience!

Civic Duties & Regional Engagement

Yorkshire Day saw an early start and a trip to Goole, where I joined fellow civic leaders in the county-wide celebrations. It was a long and hot day but a wonderful opportunity to catch up with contemporaries from across Yorkshire.

I also opened the Harrogate & District Allotment Federation’s 65th Allotment Show at the Sun Pavilion and continued to attend numerous engagements across the district, meeting residents and supporting local organisations.

A Final Note

Somehow, amidst all of this, I also managed to witness the eclipse and celebrate another birthday. There are still plenty of events to attend before summer comes to an end, and I am very much looking forward to continuing to meet residents and represent our wonderful town.

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