Civic Engagements Week Ending 17 November 2019

Swansea Festival of Remembrance

The Swansea Festival of Remembrance this evening saw the Brangwyn Hall packed out for a great two hours of entertainment. The evening started with the Morriston Rugby Club Male Choir singing Tears in Heaven and You'll Never Walk Again. They were followed by the City of Swansea Concert Band playing favourite hits from Dame Vera Lynn.

We were then treated to a song from the fantastic Swansea Music Children's Choir, consisting of children from five or six primary schools, before hearing Kirsten Orsborn, singing more classic songs.

We also heard from the Swansea Music Youth Choir 'Choirworks' singing Cantique de Jean Racine Op.11 and A Gaelic Blessing.

As with the Neath Port Talbot Remembrance we were treated to a performance by the drummers from 215 (City of Swansea) Squadron Corps of Drums.

The evening concluded with a Service of Remembrance, based around the Drumhead Altar, adorned with the National flags.

Tomorrow I have two Remembrance Services, one in Mumbles and the other at St. Mary's Church in the City Centre.

Rotary Centenary Event

In November 1919 Swansea Rotary Club was chartered. The third in Wales after Cardiff and Llanelli.

This year Rotary Swansea commemorates its club centenary with a series of events throughout the year - watch this space for more information.

The club organise a number of fund raising initiatives throughout the year including race nights, fashion shows, curry evenings, musical evenings in Swansea Mansion House as well as two big Boules tournaments Marina Boules May Bank Holiday Sunday and Mumboules in September (see photograph above) in conjunction with Rotary Mumbles.

They support a number of charities, community organisations and school projects.

It was a pleasure therefore to support them again at their centenary dinner this evening at which I was invited to make the opening speech. My speech is below. The evening concluded with a Q&A with Swansea Director of Football, Leon Britton.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Swansea Council can I congratulate you on reaching a hundred years old. This makes you twice as old as Swansea’s City status, which we are also celebrating this year.

Swansea is a great place to live. As a City it has everything you would want if you live here, work here or want to set up a business here: friendly, welcoming people; deep-rooted communities; good sporting and cultural links, fantastic scenery; and a strong sense of identity.

Our bay, our beaches, our countryside, the Gower area of outstanding natural beauty remain second to none, whilst our two universities continue to grow from strength to strength, as evidenced by the student accommodation that is popping up all over the city.

With this being our 50th anniversary as a City, I have been proud as Lord Mayor to help spearhead events to commemorate that birthday: inviting community groups up to the Mansion House to celebrate with us; a spectacular air show; awarding freedom of the City to Alun Wyn Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones and the 157 (Welsh) Regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps; a royal visit; and the free firework show which was held on the beach just a few days ago.

These birthday celebrations have been a reaffirmation of our pride in Swansea and its people, and everything that offers to those of us who call it home.

On your one hundredth anniversary I would like to pay tribute to the tremendous work you do here in Swansea in raising money for charity through the many events you put on and of course Swansea’s two big Boules tournaments.

The Council has a long association with Swansea Rotary, for example through the High Fives awards, which I attended this year as Lord Mayor, and which rewards the many inspirational young people in all our local communities.

Rotary Clubs are one of those organisations, which if they did not exist, we would have to invent them.

But they are nothing without the hard-working and dedicated individuals who offer many hours of their time, freely and without hesitation, to keep them running - tirelessly raising money for good causes, quietly offering support and encouragement to the many talented individuals in all our communities who have so much to offer, and carrying out all the organising work behind the scenes that make events like this possible.

I offer my thanks to each and every one of you for all that you do as part of this amazing organisation and I am pleased and proud to be continuing the association between Swansea Council and Rotary by joining you at this dinner this evening.

Can I wish you an enjoyable and successful event and look forward to the next hundred years of collaboration and charity work for the rotary and the mayoralty?

Swansea 50 - Penllergare Trust

Our 32nd event in the series to celebrate Swansea's 50th anniversary as a City saw the Penllergare Trust come up to the Mansion House for lunch.

This group of volunteers manage the Penllergare Valley estate and coffee shop, created by John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810-82), who was a man distinguished not only for his contribution to landscape design and horticulture, but also for his scientific experiments and pioneering photography.

He exploited the majestic natural beauty of the site to create an idyllic landscape. With its lakes and waterfalls, panoramic vistas, secret places and horticultural and botanical riches, Penllergare provided an infinite variety of subjects for his camera.

The Dillwyn Llewelyn family and their Penllergare estate influenced the growth of the local community by providing employment, housing and education.

The volunteers, along with staff and contractors have been working hard over the last decade or so to maintain and to restore the Penllergare landscape to the romantic style shown in John Dillwyn Llewelyn's photographs.

Over the past years they have worked to restore the Upper Lake, Carriage Drive, Lower Lake, and historic paths and steps. More recently, work has been done to restore and replant the Terrace Rockwork Garden and cascades, and this is still ongoing.

They are now looking to start Phase Two of our restoration – the Walled Gardens and Orchid House and are in the process of raising £90,000 in match-funding in order to secure a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable us to proceed with this project.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to thank them for doing so much for the City and its environs, as part of this event.

Remembrance Assembly - Gowerton Comprehensive School

An early start this morning at Gowerton Comprehensive School, who were holding their annual remembrance assembly, together with me, as Lord Mayor, the Lord Lieutenant, High Sheriff, the Gowertonian Society, School Governors and Gowerton Community Council.

The Assembly this year focussed on a former pupil of the school, called Penry Guy, who was a bomber pilot officer during the Second World War. On June 21st 1944 his plane was on a bombing raid but was hit by enemy fire. As pilot he enabled his 6 crewmen to jump to safety and avoided the Belgian village of Asch before the plane crashed.

The community of the village of Asch organised a series of formal events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Penry Guy’s death, which was attended by representatives from the school. He was 22 years old when he died.

The Head Boy and Head Girl laid a wreath at the school's Second World war memorial, after which the Lord Lieutenant did the same at the First World War memorial. We were then entertained by a wonderful rendition of the music from Schindlers List by two of the pupils.

Swansea 50 - Mumbles Lifeboat Crew Volunteers

The 31st of our Mansion House events to celebrate Swansea's 50th year as a City saw the Mumbles Lifeboat Crew volunteers join us for supper.

These men and women regularly put their lives on the line to rescue others, and I wished that we could do more to recognise the work they do and the bravery they show in the face of imminent danger.

Everybody appeared to enjoy themselves and I look forward to reciprocating in the new year, when I visit the lifeboat station on Mumbles Pier.

Visit by European Teachers under Erasmus programme

This afternoon I was in the Guildhall to greet teachers from Italy, Greece, Finland and Spain, who were being hosted by Tan-y-Lan School as part the Erasmus + programme. 

The teachers have spent all week at the school, learning how they work with pupils in developing links with business and entrepreneurship. They also got to explore and visit some major attractions in Swansea and the surrounding area. Over the next few years there will be reciprocal visits to continue this fact-finding. 

Unfortunately, our possible exit from the European Union means that this may well be the last of these sorts of link-ups under the Erasmus + funding programme. It was good therefore that we were able to show the party some of the best bits of the Guildhall and the Brangwyn Hall, and offer them a Welsh welcome.

Lord Mayor's Column - 6th November 2019

One of the duties of being Swansea’s first citizen involves acting as an ambassador for our city and welcoming official visitors. On Monday I joined Unison in receiving their guest, Evelina Torres Acosta, who is a Trade Union official from Cuba with responsibility for 27,000 health workers at Seaview Primary School.

With just two days notice, Seaview had adorned their hall with Cuban flags, prepared some Spanish greetings and put on a tremendous display of singing in a full school assembly.

Tomorrow I’m greeting visitors from Greece, Spain, Italy and Finland as part of the successful Erasmus + project at YGG Tan Y Lan.

The Swansea 50 celebrations continue with Mumbles Lifeboat Volunteers joining me at the Mansion House on Thursday and Penllergare Trust on Friday.

The Rotary Club do tremendous work in supporting communities and charities, so I am delighted to be joining them for their centenary celebrations at the Guildhall. They have been very supportive both to me and previous Lord Mayors - helping with and supporting fundraising activities - so I am delighted to host a reception for their VIP’s on Friday evening.

The latter part of the week involves a number of Remembrance Day events, as we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

On Friday morning I am joining pupils at Gowerton Comprehensive School for their service of remembrance, attending the Cross of Peace ceremony on Saturday morning at Danygraig Cemetery, and then spending Satuday evening at the Festival of Remembrance in the Brangwyn Hall.

On Sunday morning I will be attending the annual service of remembrance at All Saints Church, Mumbles, ahead of representing the city at the Service of Remembrance at St Mary’s Church and Parade along with the Lord Lieutenant, High Sheriff, veterans and serving Armed Forces personnel.

Visit of Evelina Torres Acosta

As I have said here before the Lord Mayor often receives overseas visitors on behalf of the City and plays host to them. Today was more unusual as I joined Unison in hosting their guest, Evelina Torres Acosta, who is a Trade Union official from Cuba with responsibility for 27,000 health workers.

The visit took place in Seaview Primary School in Mayhill who, with just two days notice managed to adorn their hall with Cuban flags, prepare some Spanish greetings and put on a tremendous display of singing in a full school assembly.

I am sure that our visitor was as impressed as I was at the reception in the school.  

Civic Engagements Week Ending 10 November 2019

St John's Church Musical Players - A night at the Shows

A fantastic evening tonight at the Gowerton Conservative Club as St John's Church Musical Players, the Hands Together Signing Group and the Sunday School children provided an outstanding and fun performance of music from the shows.

We particularly enjoyed Rossini's Cat Duet, albeit with Pudsey ears rather than cat ears, but the show started with a medley of songs from Gilbert and Sullivan,

The Sunday School choir provided a selection of songs from Disney before the Hands Together Signing Group performed a couple of Abba songs from Mamma Mia.

In the second half we heard songs from the Greatest Showman before the Sunday School Choir returned to perform songs from Matilda.

The concert concluded with a selection of songs from countries who have recently taken part in the Rugby World Cup, including La Marseillaise, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Hymns and Arias.