50th Anniversary Garden Party Part One

We took the celebration of Swansea's fiftieth year as a City to a new level today when we invited all those whose 50th birthday or 50th wedding anniversary falls between 3 July and 10th December, up to the Mansion House to celebrate with us.

Nearly 70 people turned up, with a similar number expected tomorrow. As you can see from the photograph we had the big 50th anniversary deck chair in the grounds and the rain stopped just in time for us to pose around it with our guests.

We provided afternoon tea for everybody with sandwiches and cakes, and allowed people the run of the public side of the Mansion House and the grounds.

Talking Hands for Deaf Children and Young People

It was a privilege this morning to go down to Mary Twill Lane in Newton, Mumbles and join Talking Hands to help them celebrate their 20th anniversary as a local organisation. They are based on land donated to them by the Vivian family in one of the more exclusive areas of Swansea, it is an ideal place to have their various youth clubs.

Talking Hands is a youth club based in Swansea open to children and young people who are Deaf or hard of hearing throughout Wales. Through the use of British Sign Language (BSL) and an awareness of deaf issues the youth club offers support and delivers a programme of activities and experiences which encourage members to learn, develop new skills, have fun and enjoy themselves.

Within the club there are two groups, one for 10 – 17 year olds who meet every Friday evening from 6.30pm – 9pm at Swansea Deaf Centre; and a group for 18 – 30 year olds who arrange regular meetings and social events.

There is also a parent and toddler group for parents of deaf children between 0-6 years, or deaf parents of hearing children, every Wednesday evening from 4pm – 6pm.

Brynhyfryd Library 50th Anniversary Party

We are not just holding 50th anniversary celebrations in the Mansion House, but also out in the community. Many of the libraries in the city chose today to host their own birthday party.

So this afternoon I showed up at Brynhyfryd Library to open their party, cut a cake and draw the raffle. There was a good turnout from local people as well, including many children, as we enjoyed music from 1969, did a 1969 quiz and ate cake and biscuits. There were activities for the children as well.

Brynhyfryd is a real community library and often puts on events for local people to enjoy. With today's event they surpassed themselves.

Mumbles Classic Car Show

This is the second year that Mumbles has staged a classic car show and what fun it was. The whole of Newton Road was closed off so that owners could stage their vintage and classic cars. Local shops remained open, there were a number of stalls serving hot food and live music outside the Ostreme Centre.

I was escorted through the show by 1950s-style police officers, including a Gendarme as I spoke to the owners and inspected the vehicles.

I was asked to judge the best three entries, which was an amazingly difficult and subjective task. I did the best I could with the assistance of the three 1950s police officers and hopefully everybody was satisfied.

Swansea 50 - Waunarlwydd Carnival Committee

Tonight we hosted the Waunarlwydd Carnival Committee for the tenth event in our Swansea 50 series of celebrating the City's anniversary with local community organisations.

The committee have recently revived the carnival in the village of Waunarlwydd after a significant gap, and relaunched it as a complete week of activities for each of the last four years.

We were joined by three of the Cockett councillors for a very pleasant supper

Swansea 50 - Wednesday Morning Coffee Club Treboeth Community Centre

The ninth in our series of 50 events for Swansea's 50th birthday by my calculation took place this morning when we invited the Wednesday Morning Coffee Club from Treboeth Community Centre to the Mansion House.

Naturally, there was coffee …. and tea, cake and sandwiches, together with those specially commissioned chocolates adorned with the 50th anniversary logo.

Everybody seemed to enjoy and as Councillor Mike Lewis, who represents the area, was also present, he also collected plenty of casework to keep him busy.

Lord Mayor's Column 28th August 2019

Throughout the year I am inviting 50 community groups to the Mansion House as party of the city’s anniversary celebrations. These community celebrations continue this week.

Yesterday I hosted a group from the ‘Friends of St Mary’s’ at the Mansion House for an evening gathering. The group, which have been active for almost 40 years themselves, help to promote and stimulate interest in the fascinating history of our iconic city centre church. St Mary’s is celebrating its own milestone anniversary this year, marking 60 years since its rebuilding after extensive bomb damage in the second world war blitz, and have hosted their own events to mark the occasion.

This morning members of the Treboeth Community Centre will be relocating their usual Wednesday coffee morning to the Mansion House, so that we can celebrate the city’s anniversary together. Then later I will be inviting the organising committee of Waunarlwydd Carnival to join me for a celebratory buffet evening.

The Mumbles classic car show takes place on Thursday evening with over 50 classic cars spread across the village from Oyster Wharf right up Newton Road.

Then on Friday I’ll be visiting Brynhyfryd Library as they celebrate the city’s 50th anniversary with a party. All the libraries in Swansea are holding their own celebrations, with other events in Pennard, Pontarddulais, St Thomas, Penlan and Gowerton this week.

On Saturday I’ll be back in Mumbles for the Talking Hands for the ‘Deaf Children & Young People’ group’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Then it’s off to the Mansion House where I’ll be at the first of our two garden parties this weekend. There are over 100 people from right across Swansea celebrating golden wedding anniversaries and 50th birthdays coming along to the events. I look forward to sharing these milestone celebrations with everyone.

Swansea 50 - Friends of St Mary's Church

At some stage I am going to have to count precisely how many of these Swansea 50 events we have done so far, if only to see how we are doing in hitting our target of 50 by 10th December. The events themselves continue to be a joy.

Not only am I getting to meet so many people from across Swansea, but also we are able to reward them with a small treat at one of the City's premier venues (the Mansion House) for the voluntary work they do in their own community.

Tonight we welcomed the friends of St Mary's Church, the city centre building that hosts so many services and events for Swansea and the council. These are the people who help to raise the funds to keep the church open, who ensure services run like clockwork, do the catering, run the city centre coffee shop in the building and so much more.

It was a lively and enjoyable evening and hopefully our guests left feeling that little bit more appreciated for the way they keep one of Swansea's great institutions on the road.

Update: by my quick count this is the 8th of the Swansea 50 events, 43 to go.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 1 September 2019

Prescelli/Ragged Youth FC Community Football Funday

It was a beautifully hot day, so when I got to Clwyd School to support the community football fun day, the barbecue was warming up and people were settling down on blankets and portable chairs to enjoy the weather and the five-a-side games.

Prescelli/Ragged juniors run teams from under-6s to under-18s in local leagues, so today was not just a bit of fun but also to raise money to support the various youngsters who play for them, including buying kit etc.

It was a bit warm in my suit and the Lord Mayor's chain, so I stayed for the opening games before heading off. No doubt the competitors and spectators had a fantastic day and hopefully raised sufficient funds to sustain the junior teams throughout the new season.

Swansea 50 - Bonymaen Luncheon Club

Today we hosted another of the community events to celebrate the City's 50th Birthday, this time with the Bonymaen Luncheon Club. We were joined by the councillors for the area, Paul Lloyd and Mandy Evans.

The group meet every Friday to have lunch together, so as they were missing their meal today we provided them with a chicken dinner.

These luncheon clubs are part of an invaluable volunteer-run safety net in local communities that ensure that the elderly and infirm in particular are able to get out of their home and socialise with others. It was a pleasure to host them in the Mansion House today.

Swansea 50 - Commemorative Baby Coins Presentation

Today's event commemorating Swansea's 50th birthday as a City was a very special one. On average eleven babies are born each day here, however on 3 July, the actual anniversary of the declaration that we were to have city status, six babies were born in Swansea.

Five of those babies were brought to the Mansion House by their parents this afternoon so we could give them a medal and a certificate to record the very special birthday they now share with the City. We put on an afternoon tea for the adults in the room, whilst the babies slept peacefully alongside us.

Photographs of this event will appear in social media and the local press in due course

Swansea 50 - Morriston Memorial Hall

Freshly back from my two weeks holiday it was time to put the chain back on and head up to the Mansion House for another in the series of receptions for local community groups to mark the 50th anniversary of Swansea as a City.

Tonight we welcomed a group from Morriston Memorial Hall and a couple of their local councillors to celebrate with us. It was a particularly apt occasion as we also welcomed Lyn Mainwaring, who has volunteered at this council owned community centre for 50 years.

I was privileged to be able present Lyn with a small gift to thank her for her contribution to the Cwmrhydyceirw community since 1969.

There will be plenty more community events at the Mansion House in this series of 50th anniversary receptions before the 10th December, the date in 1969 when we were actually presented with the charter.

Lord Mayor's Column 21st August 2019

The celebrations for Swansea’s 50th anniversary as a city continue this week, with a series of receptions at the Mansion House.

While there have been a number of high profile events and concerts this year already, it is important to recognise the work of the people and communities that make up our city. So throughout this anniversary year I am hosting 50 civic events to celebrate the work of community groups and organisations.

I will be hosting members of the Morriston Memorial Hall on Wednesday who do fantastic work keeping a vital community resource open.

On Thursday, as I mentioned in my column last week, I will be greeting the families of the six babies born on July 3 this year in Swansea, and presenting them with a ceremonial coin. At just six weeks old, these may be some of the newest citizens of Swansea, but the date is special as it marked exactly 50 years since the declaration that we were to become a city was made by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Friday sees another community group, this time the Bonymaen Luncheon Club, visit the mansion house as part of the city’s golden anniversary celebrations. Lunch clubs are a great way for older people to meet and socialise, particularly for those who may face issues of loneliness and isolation.

The community celebrations continue throughout the month, as all of Swansea Council’s libraries join in the summer of celebrations. Every library will be hosting events featuring games, craft, reading challenges, displays and Sixties-themed parties for all ages.

There are free events at libraries in Fforestfach, Pennard, Pontarddulais, Penlan, Brynhyfryd and Gowerton over the next few days, and I’d encourage residents to take the opportunity to find out more about what their local library has to offer.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 25 August 2019

Lord Mayor's Column 14th August 2019

Just over a month ago, on July 3, we welcomed HRH Prince Charles’ return visit to Swansea to mark exactly 50 years since we became a city. An event that also marked the 50th anniversary of his investiture as Prince of Wales.

The Prince made a second visit to Swansea later in 1969, following the signing of the Royal charter on 10 December conferring city status.

To mark those special dates when our community turned from a town to a city, I am inviting people celebrating their 50th birthday or 50th wedding anniversaries between July 3 and December 10, to come and enjoy some hospitality at the Mansion House.

For those of you wanting to take part, just visit www.swansea50.co.uk to register your interest. From there you will be offered official invitations. You don’t need to have been born or married in Swansea, but you do need to have a permanent residence here now.

As Lord Mayor I’ve been proud to be involved in a large number of celebrations so far and I’m really looking forward to hosting these garden parties which will take place on Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September.

There’s more to the celebrations than simply reminiscing about the past. To do that we should look forward to the future. On July 3 this year, there were 6 babies born in Swansea according to registrars working for the Council. Each of their families are set to receive a specially minted coin to commemorate the occasion.

This very limited edition coin will be a rare memento of an incredibly special occasion for the families. I look forward to hosting them at a special event at the Mansion House next week.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 18 August 2019

Lord Mayor's Column 7th August 2019

Swansea has long had links to a number of Chinese cities. Including Our longest being that with our sister city Wuhan, near Shanghai, which stretches back over 150 years.

Yesterday the Deputy Lord Mayor hosted a visit of representatives from the Chinese city of Qingdao on the east coast of China, with whom Swansea recently signed a memorandum of understanding to form a closer working relationship.

These ongoing links help to build links with trade, transport and logistics, culture and sports, and education and tourism.

We have always been a welcoming city, not just with building cultural and business relationships, but also providing a space of sanctuary for those in greatest need. Swansea was the first city of sanctuary in Wales, and indeed one of the first in the UK. It is apt then that later yesterday the Deputy Lord Mayor extended our warm welcome to another group of new citizens as part of the monthly citizenship ceremony. This is the final stage of the legal process that welcomes new citizens to the UK.

Later today the Deputy Lord Mayor will be at the National Waterfront Museum for National Playday. It’s an event where thousands of children and their families get out to play at hundreds of community events across the UK.

As well as a celebration of children’s right to play, Playday is a campaign that highlights the importance of play in children’s lives. It allows children to interact with others, develop relationships, deal with conflict, and learn respect and tolerance. By boosting children’s confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills and perseverance, it enables them to cope with stress and challenges throughout life.

The fun free event at the Waterfront Museum includes games, arts & crafts, pirate Ship, garden activities, live music and the play-on-wheels play bus.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 11 August 2019