Weekly Column: Mayor Mohammed Zaman

Date published: 15 March 2019

Week commencing Monday 4 March – Sunday 10 March

Monday, I was invited to Broadfield Primary School for their ‘Sending Sunshine’ event.

Working in partnership with Home Instead, a home health care service in Rochdale, the school have developed a pen pal scheme between the young pupils and elders within the community. The aim is to reduce the impact of loneliness around the borough and to bridge inter-generational gaps between the young and the elderly living in the area.

The children created their own logos for the project, which were narrowed down to three by Home Instead. The school staff then picked the winner and I presented the winning child with a gift voucher for Smiggle.

A lot has changed since these elderly people were young, so I like how the young pupils are being educated on what Rochdale used to be like and how times have changed from the senior’s childhoods. I feel the initiative will break down barriers and develop further understanding of the issues the older generation face.

Thank you to the headteacher of Broadfield Primary School, Rachel Dardis, assistant headteacher, Rachel Kershaw and deputy care manager for Home Instead, Emma Gaunt for introducing the project and completing it successfully. It really is beneficial to all involved.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/126643/local-children-send-sunshine-letters

Wednesday, I had a meeting with a worker in the Freehold area who wants to engage more young people in events over the Easter and Summer holidays. He believes there are currently not many facilities in the area to prevent young people taking part in problematic activities.

We are going to have further discussions about this in future, with the hopes to increase the amount of facilities available and create a cohesive community.

Thursday, I met with Liz Jacobs from Rochdale Music Service at the weekly Veterans Breakfast Club in the Clock Tower Dining Room. This was to discuss the possibility of a music festival like Rochdale’s Festival of Performing Arts, which recently finished, but to include BME communities.

In Rochdale, we have people from 63 different countries who speak 91 different languages, and I would like to introduce a diverse music festival that engages other cultures and highlights their styles of music. I’m very keen to see if we can develop partnerships with different members of the community to promote our diversity through music, dance and song.

I want to arrange more meetings regarding this to develop the idea.

Friday, I visited a local business in Rochdale called Bedding Place. They are an established online business selling bedding and other home furnishings, with their office based in the Kingsway area.

I am always proud to see businesses thriving within Rochdale and am always keen to welcome new businesses to the borough, whilst watching businesses who have been here for many years continue to develop.

I was invited to Hamer Community Primary School for their ‘Maths Happiness Fair’ that is in its third year. This is an excellent event organised by the school to promote maths and raises the issue of ‘can money buy our happiness?’.

The children were asked what makes them happy and the role that money plays in this before the school introduced the project of each class being given a £10 budget to invest in goods or services to be sold at the Happiness fair.

Each class set up their own shops and then sold their products and services to volunteers, parents and staff to gain profit. They sold a range of products such as samosas, milkshakes and healthy snacks and told of the benefits of eating healthily. I found it very interesting.

The proceeds of each class were given back to the local community as the school donated the money to local charities and organisations, which I was very impressed by. I also joined in with some games on the day like ‘higher or lower’, which I had never played before. I couldn’t beat the pupils, they were very good.

Thank you to the headteacher, Victoria Terry, and her colleagues at Hamer Primary School who develop the children’s skills through fun and interactive sessions like this.

Friday evening, I was invited by the Mayor of Bolton to his Greatest Showman Charity Dinner in Bolton Town Hall. My daughter, mayoress Naaira Zaman, also joined me.

The event really engaged young people who sung, danced and passed on the message of working together all under the theme of the Greatest Showman, which welcomed beautiful decorations in Bolton Town Hall. We were provided with a nice meal and everyone enjoyed the entertainment over the course of the night.

This was a fantastic fundraising event with different mayors from different towns who were brought together to share information and have a good time, as well as raise money for charity.

I’m looking forward to my Mayor’s Charity Ball on Friday 12 April where I will be raising funds for my six chosen charities this year: Springhill Hospice, Petrus, Moorend Trust, Parkinsons UK, Rochdale Community Partnership and British Heart Foundation.

More information about the charity ball can be found here:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/60286/events-in-rochdale/the-mayor-of-rochdale-civic-charity-ball

Sunday, I was invited to Rochdale Science Extravaganza at Wardleworth Community Centre.

Labib Abdul Rehman, a young boy from Rochdale, initially thought about this and supported by his family, friends, businesses and community, he has done well to promote scientific research and has raised awareness and understanding respectively for people in the Rochdale borough through the Science Extravaganza.

I also met a young lady, Hasina Begum, a PHD student at university, who was a guest speaker and encouraged young people to work hard.

Thank you to Wardleworth Community Centre management committee, volunteers, all participants, sponsors of the day, local community members and the parents of Labib Abdul Rehman for supporting this event and supporting his dream.

This was the third successful annual event they have organised, and I look forward to attending again next year.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/126570/rochdale-science-extravaganza-returns-with-a-bang

Mayoral Invitations

​​​​The Mayor welcomes invitations to events held by local organisations and individuals. Due to demand, it may not be possible for the Mayor to attend every event he is invited to.

To invite the Mayor to your event please complete the Mayor attendance form and return it to the Mayor's Officer.

Visit: www.rochdale.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/mayors/Pages/mayoral-invitations.aspx

Email: mayoral@rochdale.gov.uk

Tel: 01706 924773