Weekly Column: Mayor Billy Sheerin

Date published: 27 January 2020

This weekly column from the Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Billy Sheerin, is about the places he has been and the people he has met during the week commencing Monday 13 January to Sunday 19 January 2020.

I would just like to say that I am really chuffed to have won £5 on the Dale Lotto the same week that Rochdale AFC played Newcastle United. My number came out (finally) after being a member for 35 years!

I always like to show my support to the club as the Mayor of Rochdale, but also as a lifelong supporter.

I started the mayoral week at St Gabriel’s RC Primary in Castleton. Over this half term, the children in each year group of the school will be taking part in a local study to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the current building, which opened in February 1970.

To celebrate the milestone, teachers at St Gabriel’s want to host an exhibition with old documents, artefacts and photographs to show how the school has changed over the past 50 years, as well as what the building was like before the new one opened.

I was invited as I attended after the war as a boy in the 1950s, so they asked me what it was like. My father was one of two school governors and the headmaster at the time was Anthony (Tony) Ball. All my children also went to St Gabriel’s and have lots of fond memories.

If anyone, ex-pupils of St Gabriel’s or not, has anything they could contribute to the exhibition from photographs of the local area to school days, it would be gratefully received by the school.

Tuesday (14 January) I went to watch Rochdale AFC v Newcastle United at St James’ Park. I was on one of the 17 coaches that went - travelling incognito with my coat over my mayoral chains.

St James’ Park is an amazing ground, it’s an absolutely enormous place, and the Dale fans chanting throughout the match was amazing. They sounded like angels up in the heavens. Although we lost it was a really enjoyable experience to be with everyone, especially on the coach.

I sat next to a man from Milnrow on the way there, Matthew Raybold, who had always attended Rochdale’s games with his father from being a little boy. His father, Keith, sadly passed away in 2018, but I really enjoyed speaking to Matthew and witnessing him carrying on the tradition of attending the matches, even without his father.

A fun fact I learnt is that centre forward for Newcastle United, Joelinton, was bought for around £30million. This amount would pay the Rochdale players wages for the next 20 years!

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/4/sport-news/132326/football-newcastle-4-1-rochdale

Over two days - Thursday 16 and Friday 17 January - Year 6 pupils from Heybrook Primary School came to the council chambers at Rochdale Town Hall to take part in debates, mock elections and question and answer sessions. This was organised by Graham Barker, the council’s electoral services officer, who has been inviting local primary and high schools to take part in sessions that will hopefully encourage the next generation of voters to engage in the political process.

65,000 people living in Rochdale didn’t vote in the December general election, and this is upsetting.

For this session, I sat on the top table along with the leader of the council, Councillor Allen Brett, Councillor Rachel Massey, Councillor Sultan Ali and Councillor Janet Emsley, and we all answered questions from the children.

The session ended with a mock election where the children had ballot papers, but instead of naming candidates it was school subjects e.g. maths, English, geography, history, sports and arts. We had one spoilt ballot paper where somebody voted for two subjects, and maths got one vote, whereas English had 2. The winner was always going to be sport, and the runner up art.

It was a good, fun, educational day.

Friday evening was the Friends of Tourcoing Christmas dinner, which they always hold after Christmas. This was a most enjoyable evening; meeting up with friends that I had made on my visit to Tourcoing as the mayor last year.

The mayoress and I really enjoyed ourselves. We were well-fed with an excellent meal and took part in a free raffle. I made a speech, and so did the Chair of the Friends of Tourcoing, Claire Bayman.

It’s amazing how many of the Friend’s group that I know from my days with the amateur dramatic and musical society’s (ADMS).

Saturday (18 January) was the Ukrainian Communal Christmas Meal at Rochdale’s Ukrainian Centre, which was really well attended.

We had a very interesting meal, all full of interesting new tastes. Before the starter we had an appetiser, which was a grains and honey mix, followed by a lovely beetroot soup. Then we had what I would describe as little flat dumplings and cabbage leaves stuffed with rice in a nice mushroom sauce. We finished with pastries.

It was an enjoyable afternoon with amazing hospitality, a choir for entertainment and good conversations. I hope to be invited again in future.

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