Mayor’s Column: Councillor Shakil Ahmed reflects on a busy July

Councillor Shakil Ahmed was sworn in as the Mayor of Rochdale in May 2024. This month, the Mayor speaks of his visits to the Rochdale Armed Forces Breakfast Club, was proud to open the new dementia garden at the Oasis Unit at Rochdale Infirmary, and met with charity workers at Jolly Josh, as well as charging the full council meeting at Number One Riverside. Here's what he had to say about his busy July...

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I am now over two months into my mayoral year and I am thoroughly enjoying every minute. Across the borough, the reception I have been receiving has been heartening. It doesn’t matter if it is a visit is to a school, a business, a charity, an event or an opening of a new facility, everyone is so helpful and welcoming.

In my first few weeks I have seen at first-hand so many wonderful things in our diverse, vibrant and creative borough.

One of the recent highlights for my consort, Councillor Rachel Massey, and I was a visit to St Vincent’s Primary School in Norden for their sports day.

The reception we received from the children was wonderful. They really engaged in our visit, even cheering and chanting as we entered their event! Well done to everyone at St Vincent’s for such a lovely day and for the heartfelt and charming welcome. A day that will live long in the memory.

Another lovely event was the Rochdale Armed Forces Breakfast Club, prior to the remembrance service marking the 80th anniversary since the Battle of Imphal ended.

I was delighted to receive a warm welcome from the veterans, as I met with them at the Flying Horse in Rochdale.

The breakfast club is a wonderful success story, providing veterans with a social outlet, helping to reduce social isolation and boost well-being. The service of remembrance at Rochdale Cenotaph was moving and poignant, as we reflected and remembered. Lest we forget.

As more and more people are living longer it is sadly the case that more of our residents are living with dementia. There are some really good services in place in our borough to support our older and vulnerable residents, so it was a great honour to open the new dementia garden at the Oasis Unit at Rochdale Infirmary.

The garden will provide a quiet place for reflection, helping to support residents and boost their wellbeing.

Well done to everyone involved with the project. In addition, I was moved to visit Jolly Josh. It was heart-warming to see families benefitting from the amazing services Jolly Josh provide for young people with complex medical needs and physical disabilities in our borough.

I am so proud of the support and inclusivity delivered at this and other local services for vulnerable people.

The Littleborough Rushbearing Festival is always a highlight of the borough’s cultural calendar, so I was delighted to attend this excellent event and see residents, community groups and organisations showcase the very best of music, song and dance.

Well done on another successful community event. It was a proud moment to lead the parade and wave to the residents who lined the pathways.

In addition, I had a fantastic time at the Lowerplace Primary School summer fair on Friday. It was wonderful to see everyone so happy and involved in all the events. The chocolate tombola, cakes and biryani were amazing. What a great way to finish school. Lovely to share a special moment with so many families from Rochdale.

Other special moments over the last month have included:

• I had the pleasure of meeting judges from the Royal Horticultural Society as they came to visit the fantastic floral displays from our community groups. The Consort and I wished them a happy 60th anniversary of the RHS brightening up our cities and towns across the UK.
   
• We went to the North West Chinese Association UK Inauguration ceremony at St Bede’s College and this showed how our cultures and heritage can entwine seamlessly across continents. They were incredibly warm, friendly and hospitable and we enjoyed sharing a meal together.
   
• We have attended so many school events, but a highlight was handing out trophies for PE and sports awards at St John the Baptist RC Primary, where we got to watch an amazing display of gymnastics and celebrate their achievements.
   
• It was good to meet and attend the service at Rochdale’s Unitarian churches 50th anniversary. The church shines a light on family, community, love and peace, all which profoundly impact Rochdale.
   
• The excitement of young people at Rochdale Town Hall for the Children’s University graduation was infectious. It was such a proud moment to celebrate all that they have achieved. Hope more children participate in the future and more of our schools reach for the stars in this great way to feature the extracurricular activities our children take part in outside of school.

One of my key roles as Mayor is to chair meetings of the full council. At the recent meeting, my chairing skills helped ensure a smooth running of the meeting, the chance for wide-ranging debates and discussions and a prompt finish time for everyone involved. It was a moving moment as I left the meeting to a round of applause.

It is a key part of my role to visit as many parts of the borough as possible, and that will continue over the coming weeks and months.

A continued thanks to my dedicated charities. Throughout the year my Mayoral work will be raising funds for Springhill Hospice, the Team Thompson Against Cancer Appeal in conjunction with Rochdale AFC Community Trust, Aspire 2 Inspire Communities, Rochdale Heartbeat and Get Together After Serving.

All these organisations do amazing work, supported by wonderful teams of staff and volunteers. I am looking forward to giving them my support. Donations to my charities can be sent to:

The Mayor’s Office, floor 2, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale, OL16 1XU.

If any organisation would like a visit during my mayoral year, please ring 01706 924834 and my team will be happy to help. Further information on my charities and the work I will be undertaking can be found at: rochdale.gov.uk/mayor