Abertawe Festival for Young Musicians

Back to St Mary's Church this morning for the annual Abertawe Festival for Young Muscians. The Mayor of Neath Port Talbot heard some very impressive musical presentations from Clase Primary School, Parklands Primary School. Craigfelen Primary School all from Swansea and St Mary and St Patrick Primary School and Archdeacon John Lewis Primary School both from Bridgend.

Afterwards we handed out certificates to the school along with the adjudication by John Reynolds, who judges a lot of more senior competitions. The event carried on into the afternoon but our role was complete at that stage.

I will be back with the Festival on 15th March, when they will be in Taliesin on Swansea University's Singleton Campus.

Swansea University Research and Innovation Awards

A long but interesting evening on the Swansea University Bay Campus for the centenary year research and innovation awards. Guest speaker was the new Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Wales Office, David Davies MP.

The ceremony is held annually to recognise and reward excellence in research across the university. Awards included for the outstanding research and innovation collaboration, outstanding contribution to public engagement, research and innovation rising star, outstanding research supervision and outstanding contribution to the arts, culture and society. There were ten in all.

In the last award the prize was won by the heritage-led regeneration at the Hafod Copper Works, which is a collaboration with Swansea Council, who are restoring the site.

Lord Mayor's Column - 29th January 2020

Monday was Holocaust Memorial Day. It also marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This year the commemoration service was led by pupils of Pentrehafod School.

Millions of people were murdered by the Nazis simply because of their identity and we must never forget them. But the day is not just about the atrocities committed during World War Two – there has been subsequent genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Only by sharing these dark chapters of our history with the younger generation and remembering the millions of victims can we seek to prevent history from repeating itself.

There are sadly two funerals this week – one yesterday for ex-councillor John Bushell, then on Thursday for councillor, and former Lady Mayoress, Sybil Crouch.

John represented Fairwood ward for many years and was committed to helping address the problems of homelessness in the city. Sybil was a passionate advocate for social justice, for Swansea, for her community and for her constituents. They will both be greatly missed.

On Thursday I will be attending Swansea University’s Research and Innovation Awards. This is the first major event of the University’s centenary year and showcases the collaborations the University has with the public, private and third sector, and the global impact these have. Nominations range from advances in the early diagnosis of bowel cancer to the Hafod Morfa Copperworks programme.

On Friday I will be at St Mary’s Church for the Abertawe Festival’s Schools Day. The festival offers musical and educational performance opportunities to young musicians in South Wales and is recognised as one of the most prestigious music festivals in the UK.

I return to St Mary’s on Sunday for a special service to mark the retirement of H.M. Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, D. Byron Lewis.

Holocaust Memorial

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and it was the turn of Pentrehafod School to host the commemoration event, and what a fantastic job they did. It is also the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Following the introduction by the headteacher and the Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl, I was called on to read out the statement of commitment. This is as follows:

1. We recognise that the Holocaust shook the foundations of modern civilisation. Its unprecedented character and horror will always hold universal meaning.
2. We believe the Holocaust must have a permanent place in our nations’ collective memory. We honour the survivors still with us, and re-affirm our shared goals of mutual understanding and justice.
3. We must make sure that future generations understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences. We vow to remember the victims of Nazi persecution and of all genocide.
4. We value the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives to protect or rescue victims, as a touchstone of the human capacity for good in the face of evil.
5. We recognise that humanity is still scarred by the belief that race, religion, disability or sexuality make some people’s lives worth less than others. Genocide, antisemitism, racism, xenophobia and discrimination will continue. We have a shared responsibility to fight these evils.
6. We pledge to strengthen our efforts to promote education and research about the Holocaust and other genocide. We will do our utmost to make sure that the lessons of such events are fully learnt.
7. We will continue to encourage Holocaust remembrance by holding an annual UK Holocaust Memorial Day. We condemn the evils of prejudice, discrimination and racism. We value a free, tolerant and democratic society. 

We were then treated to a presentation regarding the works of art produced by Pentrehafod pupils for the event. These are pictured below and are themed around the shoes and luggage left behind by the victims of the holocaust.

Pupils from year 7 then performed a couple of dramatic pieces and we were treated to a couple of songs from the excellent school choir, before Mrs Norma Glass lit the candle to symbolise peace and hope for the future.

Holocaust Memorial Day is of course primarily about remembering the victims of the holocaust between 1941 and 1945 and the Nazi persecution from 1933 to 1945, but we also remember the victims of persecution by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, Rwanda in 1994, Bosnia in 1995, and Darfur from 2003 to the present amongst many others.

The event also brought back memories of my visit to Srebrenica in 2015 with the Assembly, when we were told that there are still 40,000 missing persons in the former Yugoslavia from a war that ended 20 years previously. My account of that visit and the traumatic aftermath of the war can be read here.

It seems that there is no limit to the atrocities that humankind can visit on their fellow men, women and children, This day is there to remind us of that and to encourage us to speak out so that it never happens again.

Chinese New Year Celebration

This morning we called in at Swan Gardens, the Chinese community housing complex run by Family Housing Association, to help them celebrate the Chinese New Year.

We are now in the Year of the Rat and to celebrate we were treated to a traditional lion dance and a fabulous buffet.

The lion dance and the accompanying percussionists moved inside following the dance in the complex's car park.

And there was a huge raffle which had to be conducted in two parts with an interval due to the large number of prizes.

We won a bottle of oyster sauce, which will no doubt liven up the odd shepherd's pie for some time to come. It was a great event and so fantastic to see so many members of the wider community join in.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 2nd February 2020

SSAFA Charity Ball

The SSAFA Charity Ball is an annual event, which this year had been brought forward so that it took place before the Lord Lieutenant retires on 14th February. As a result it coincided with Burns Night, and that meant that we had to start with the traditional piping in of the haggis as it processes around the tables.

SSAFA is the Armed Forces charity, formerly known as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents.

The event was therefore organised and attended by many ex-servicemen and women and their families and we were entertained by the local 'forces sweetheart', Kirsten Orsborne. It was a good night, with good food in Blanco's Hotel., Port Talbot and hopefully raised a lot of money to help support ex-servicemen and women in the future.

Swansea 50 - post celebrations thank you event part two

Having entertained the volunteers who made all the big events in Swansea in 2019 happen at last week's event, today it was the turn of the staff. It was the final event in our Swansea 50 series.

We don't thank our staff enough so it was lovely to have all those from highways, events, licensing and many more join us so we could do so properly. The sheer number of staff involved and the variety of departments they represent illustrates perfectly all the planning and work that goes into putting on an event like the air show or the Christmas parade.

Apart from the volunteer Father Christmas who joined us, there are also jobs to be done preparing and posting road closure orders, cleaning up afterwards and making sure that all the equipment and people are in the right place at the right time. It is a massive logistical undertaking.

I was glad to be able to front up the event to thank them all before they have to do it all over again this year.

Dunvant Choir 125th Anniversary Concert

One hundred and twenty five years to the day, Dunvant Male Choir returned to Ebenezer Chapel, where they were formed for a special anniversary concert this evening. It was a privilege to be a guest at this event. The choir has the record of being the longest continuous singing choir in Wales.

Tonight they were accompanied by Martin Lloyd, whose mother used to accompany the choir, and whose father sang in it, by Cadi and Mari James, twin sisters from Llanddeusant in Carmarthenshire, who are studying science subjects at Gower College Swansea, and Bethan Evans, who is studying music at Gower College Swansea and whose grandfather has sung with the choir for 30 years.

The chapel was packed for this special occasion, which is the start of a programme of events to celebrate the choir's anniversary. It was an outstanding evening of music, enjoyed by all who were present.

Lord Mayor's Column - 22 January 2020

Dunvant Male Choir is arguably the oldest Male Choir in Wales with an unbroken history. Formed in 1895 by a group of miners, steelworkers and quarrymen from Ebenezer Congregational Chapel, 2020 sees them celebrate a significant anniversary.

I will be joining the choir for a celebration concert this evening at their Dunvant chapel home – exactly 125 years to the day the choir was formed. The concert will feature Martin Lloyd, a bass singer from the Welsh National Opera, as well as a host of new musical talent from Gower College Swansea’s Music department.

On Friday I will be at St Barnabas Church in Uplands attending the funeral of Brian Sullivan. Brian was a hugely influential figure in Swansea’s cultural life, particularly in the 1970s and 80s.

An award winning actor on stage and screen, Brian became Swansea Council Entertainments Officer in 1977 and artistic director of the Grand Theatre in 1987. He also went on to become director of Swansea Little Theatre, a founding member of Phoenix Theatre Group, and a founding director of the Everyman Theatre Group, raising £200,000 for local charities.

On Saturday it is off to Port Talbot where I will be supporting SSAFA – the armed forces charity’s fundraising ball. SSAFA was set up over 130 years ago as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association and is the UK’s oldest tri-service military charity. They provide serving and former military personnel and their families with welfare, health, social care and housing support.

Then on Sunday I will be at Swan Gardens in St Helens Road to celebrate Chinese New Year - the Year of the Rat. The retirement complex at Swan gardens caters for older Chinese people who struggle to speak English. Run by Family Housing Association it’s the only centre of its kind in Wales.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 26 January 2020

Swansea 50 - post celebrations thank you event

The 48th event in our series to celebrate Swansea becoming a city, was in fact a thank you party for all those volunteers who made the events happen and run effectively over the last six months.

The City's events programme has grown in recent years and now attracts in excess of half a million people each year. Visitors to our events add a significant boost to the local economy estimated as being in the region of £20 million each year.

Events include the Wales Air Show, attracting over 250,000 people, the November 5th Fireworks Display, concerts in Singleton Park including the 35,000 who saw the Stereophonics there this summer, the Swansea Special Festival involving over 400 adults and children from all over Wales and which celebrates its 40th year in 2020, the 10k races and of course the Christmas Parade.

All of these events involve volunteers, helping with first aid, stewarding, commenting on the 10k or patrolling Swansea Bay during the air show amongst many other activities. So it was an honour to welcome many of them to the Mansion House tonight to thank them for their work.

As is usual with these events food and wine was laid on and we listened and learned more about the individuals, their organisations and their work. It was a good evening.

Lord Mayor's Quiz Night

At the Mansion House tonight we had nearly 60 people divided into ten teams to take part in a special quiz night to raise money for the Lord Mayor's Charity. There was even a special trophy for the winning team.

The quizmaster was imported especially from the Manselton Hotel where he also runs a regular charity quiz every Wednesday night. We also had a raffle with a large number of prizes available.

There was a prize for the best quiz team name. My team came second in this competition having adopted 'Goldie Looking Chain' as our moniker, in reference to the chains worn by the Lord and Lady Mayoress. Teams included some officers, various Councillors and one from each of Crisis and Llys Nini.

It was in fact the Llys Nini team who triumphed and I was delighted to present them with their prizes.

Everybody seemed to enjoy the evening and we raised £529 for the Lord Mayor's charities of Llys Nini, Crisis and Unity through Diversity.

Hafod Morfa Copperworks Engagement Project Launch

I was very excited this morning to be able to be associated with this project, if only briefly launching it at the start. 

Led by Dr. Alex Langlands of Swansea University and involving Hafod Primary School, Pentrehafod Comprehensive School, Crisis and volunteers from the Musgrave Crane Crew, the idea is to explore the history of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks site through creative projects lead by each group and present the work in a few months time.

We were treated to a virtual fly-through of the site as well as a fascinating talk about the drone survey that was carried out before Christmas, and a virtual reality tour based on that survey. 

The copperworks site is one of the last remaining visible examples of Swansea's industrial heritage and a prominent reminder of those who helped to build our city into what it is today. It is an important link for the many communities around it to their own origins and to all the individual stories, tragedies, triumphs and extraordinary lives of those who worked there.

The Council is involved in restoring the area as an historical monument so we shall be hearing a lot more of it in years to come, and hopefully, it will become accessible as a visitor attraction so people can see it for themselves and better understand its history.

Official opening of the new Storage Giant extension

I don't often get an opportunity to cut a ribbon so I was pleased to accept the invitation to officially open the new extension to Storage Giant on Swansea's Enterprise Park.

This company has 40 employees across all its sites and specialises in high tech storage units, PO boxes, starter units and bespoke office space. I was told that the growing number of students in the city provide a lot of business for the units, alongside people moving home and commercial clients.

Although the Lord Mayor's role is largely ceremonial, I think it is important to do what I can to support local businesses in this way.

Lord Mayor's Column - 15 January 2020

As Lord Mayor one occasionally has the opportunity to officially open new and refurbished buildings and businesses. Which is how I find myself this morning in Llansamlet for the official opening of Storage Giant’s 10,000ft extension to their premises.

The self-storage business has been expanding rapidly in Swansea, in part thanks to the city’s growing student population. Students often need short-term, easy access storage facilities for items like books, furniture and sporting equipment, which they cannot leave in their accommodation during term breaks.

Not too far away from Storage Giant in Llansamlet is the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks.

Swansea was core to the global copper industry in the 19th century. The Hafod works was founded in 1810 by John Vivian, eventually employing over 1,000 people – then the largest copper works in the world. The rival Morfa works established in 1835 and the two adjacent sites combined in 1924.

Swansea University has been working with the local community and Swansea Council to develop the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site for the last 10 years. They have recently received funding from UK Research & Innovation to develop partnerships with ‘Friends of Hafod-Morfa Copperworks’, Hafod Primary School, Pentrehafod Comprehensive School, and Crisis – the national charity for homeless people, which is also one of my Lord Mayor Charities this year.

On Thursday I’ll be at the Computational Foundry in Swansea University’s new Bay Campus, where there is a launch event for a project exploring how diverse groups of people relate to he Copperworks site and to find out more about what their visions for future development might look like.

That evening, I will be back at the Mansion House to host a Charity fundraising Quiz for my nominated Lord Mayor’s Charities, which in addition to Crisis also include Unity in Diversity and Llys Nini.

Citizenship Ceremony

Vice Lord Lieutenant addresses the new citizens

The first citizenship ceremony of 2020 saw 28 people being sworn in as new citizens, including a serving police office and a Spanish gentleman who chose to swear the oath in Welsh.

The High Sheriff and I were joined by the Vice Lord Lieutenant, Dr. Edward Roberts for the ceremony and afterwards we posed for photographs with some of the families.

These ceremonies are real family occasions, and there were a large number of children present. All the new citizens receive a token gift from the council, normally a keyring or a pen with their certificate. Today the two children who were inaugurated received a toy fluffy sheep.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 19 January 2020

Panto cast supper

It is traditional for the Lord Mayor to host a late night supper for the cast of the Grand Theatre Pantomime, and so last night we welcomed an ensemble of actors, dancers, costume designers, administrators and stage managers to the Mansion House, all involved in this year's production of Peter Pan.

Amongst them were Coronation Street's Tristan Gemmill who plays Captain Hook, Swansea icon, Kevin Johns who stars as Mrs Smee, Britain's Got Talent's Ricky K who plays Starkey and Aoife Kenny who plays Tiger Lily.

It was a very entertaining evening, with the cast enjoying a sing song around the grand piano until about 1pm in the morning.  I may be a bit tired today.

Lord Mayor's Column - 8th January 2020

With the final few shows of this year’s Grand Theatre pantomime ‘Peter Pan’ this week, it is a pleasure to welcome the cast to the Mansion House tonight in appreciation of yet another amazing show.

The Grand Theatre opened on the site of a former drill hall in Singleton Street on the 26th July 1897 by Opera Diva Madame Adelina Patti. This year’s production is the 107th pantomime performed at the Grand, with the first ever performed in December 1897 – Robinson Crusoe.

Pantomime is thought of as a most quintessentially British of theatre productions, but it has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to classical theatre. It developed partly from the 16th century commedia dell'arte tradition of Italy and other European and British stage traditions, such as 17th-century masques and music hall.

The play of JM Barry’s Peter Pan was first produced at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London on 27 December 1904, for a limited Christmas engagement of 150 performances. It was not originally a pantomime – and indeed it continued to be performed in a version close to the original text up to the 1950s when it was transformed into a musical, complete with Leonard Bernstein score. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Peter Pan finally morphed into the traditional pantomime format that we know today.

This year’s Grand Theatre production starred Tristan Gemill, best known for his roles in Coronation Street and Casualty. It was also Swansea’s-own Kev John’s 21st consecutive pantomime at the Grand. Kev recently topped the public poll of Swansea’s greatest icons for the city’s 50th anniversary and we surprised him on stage at curtain call during one of the performances to present him with the award.

This evening will also be an opportunity to congratulate Kevin in a more formal manner.

Civic Engagements Week Ending 12 January 2020

Visit to Babell Graveyard

The first event of the New Year involved a visit to a disused and derelict graveyard in my ward, which had been purchased by a Hong Kong based investor, who has family buried there, and who is promoting its restoration.

Babell Chapel used to stand on Carmarthen Road just below its junction with Gwilym Street, until it fell into disuse and was demolished some considerable time ago. The graveyard associated with the chapel became overgrown with Japanese knotweed and was subject to  anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping. Unfortunately, attempts to interest the Presbyterian Church in maintaining it came to nothing,
and they eventually sold it, along with other land, for a token sum of money.

As the ward councillor I have been trying to get something done about this graveyard for the best part of 30 years. We have had it cleared by probationers, it has been the subject of development proposals twice and there was also a relatives group involved in seeking to restore the area.

I was delighted therefore when it was purchased by Richard Hopkins, who set about researching its history and engaging people to get it back to a manageable condition.. There are records of the lives and deaths of over 3,000 people who died between 1867 and 1995 in this graveyard. Many of the dead would have worked in the local industries of coal mining, steel smelting, copper smelting and tin plating, but there are also designated war graves.

We were joined on today's official visit therefore by representatives of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and a number of army cadets, who were lending a hand with the clearance work. We were also treated to a talk by an ex-serviceman called Chris, who dressed in authentic World War One kit and talked us through what it would be like serving in the trenches.

He also brought along examples of the rifle and bayonet used by servicemen in the Great War as well as a number of grenades and mortar shells, which he passed around for our inspection. Hopefully, they were all deactivated.

The project of restoring this site continues. All Japanese Knotweed has been treated for the second year, repair work to Carmarthen Road retaining wall is complete, a regular schedule of volunteer activity has been established and a grave index has been updated. More details can be found on the website set up for the project.

Lord Mayor's Column - 1st January 2020

As we have reached the end of 2019, it is an opportune time to take a look back at the events of the past year. Swansea marked its 50th anniversary as a city, and the year has been filled with celebrations.

I’ve hosted close to 50 community groups from all parts of the city at the Mansion House. There were garden parties for those sharing a 50th birthday or wedding anniversary with the city. We also recognised the newest additions to the city with baby coins for children born on our anniversary date of 3 July.

The people of Swansea came together and held street parties, such as the excellent one in St Helen’s Road in the Sandfields. There was also celebrations of the city’s cultural heritage at the Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea Museum and Brangwyn Hall.

I even made an appearance in a pop music video, as the people and culture of Swansea were celebrated by local songwriter Mike Mullan in ‘This is our City’.

We marked the day itself with a Royal visit as HRH Prince Charles returned to Swansea exactly 50 years after proclaiming it was to become a city at his investiture as Prince of Wales.

We recognised some of the city’s famous sons and daughters, granting honorary Freedom of the City to Wales, British Lion and three-time Grand Slam-winning rugby player Alun Wyn Jones – and to Swansea-born Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Singleton Park, which itself celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019, hosted some spectacular concerts featuring Stereophonics, Jess Glynn, Pete Tong and the BBC Proms in the Park.

There was a free fireworks display across the bay and a celebratory Christmas parade.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped celebrate this golden year for the city. I look forward to seeing what the new decade will bring. Happy New Year!