Friday 1st November – Back into action today! I sometimes think I get “withdrawal symptoms” when I don’t have any mayoral engagements for a day or two though of course I’ve got all my Council work and other stuff to do and need to catch up with boring things like ironing! You couldn’t keep the pace up without having some “chill-out” time! Next weekend, including Remembrance Sunday, will be particularly busy! Will have to get some early nights and pace myself! This afternoon was the official opening of the new offices at Hyndburn & Ribble Valley Carers’ Link. I’ve been a Board Trustee at Carers’ Link for over four years and also used their services myself when I was caring for my Mum. A few weeks ago the organisation moved from its old premises in the former “Blockade” pub on King Street into part of the Department of Works & Pensions building on Eastgate, “Melbourne House”. The DWP are now on the upper floors whilst the ground floor is shared between Bootstrap and Carers’ Link. We gathered in the large meeting room for the official opening. Some children were there, some of primary school age. I suddenly realised that these were “young carers”! It made me wonder who they looked after at home and what their lives were like, having to take on responsibilities that don’t really belong to a “carefree” childhood. A child may have a parent or sibling who has a physical disability, mental health or substance misuse issues. This can mean that the child sometimes has to stop off school, can’t concentrate to do homework or is maybe bullied by other children who don’t understand the problems of being a young carer. Opening speeches were given by the Manager, the Board Chairman and myself as Mayor. I then cut the ribbon and declared the premises officially open. I referred to my own former caring responsibilities for my Mum and said I would try and promote the services offered by Carers’ Link. I realised from a post on Facebook a couple of weeks ago that many people are “carers”, though they may not describe themselves as such. Very often they are struggling with the system, e.g. getting a Social Services and a Carer’s Assessment. Sometimes no-one has informed them of benefits they or the person they care for may be entitled to. I think only quite a small percentage of carers out there in our community know about Carers’ Link and the help they can receive. At the Annual General Meeting a few weeks ago we were entertained by the Carers’ Choir, which has acquired more members in the meantime. They have a professional conductor who’s very knowledgeable and inspirational. We listened to a few songs before having a wander round the premises. The Mayoress and I called in very briefly on the young carers. Being half-term week there were special activities organised. One of the leaders explained that they try to make sure that every young carer attends at least one event. Sometimes they go out on trips, e.g. to Blackpool. Today they were making a collage of words related to caring, both positive and negative. As I said, it’s difficult to conceive of what these children’s lives must be like. We went into the main open-plan staff office where there were various displays. We met up with Kubra, one of the staff, and she offered to take us round. We went into one of the therapy rooms where individual carers can benefit from a Reiki or massage treatment to help them relax and improve their well-being. I commented to Kubra about all the carers who don’t know about Carers’ Link. She said that at present she’s targeting doctors’ surgeries and that she recently identified thirty “hidden” carers just from a visit to one practice. If they wish, they can then have a “one-to-one” with Kubra. She said that sometimes a carer has been struggling for so long that they need to talk at length or even break down and cry. It’s vital that Carers’ Link continues to provide this support role. At our last Board Meeting the Manager explained that in some areas carers’ support is provided by a telephone link. Thankfully in Hyndburn & Ribble Valley we still have that crucial face-to-face contact. Besides the therapies there are also trips out and all kinds of group activities on offer. The needs of “former carers” are also looked after. If a carer has devoted years to looking after a family member they will feel very “empty” when that person is no longer there. For many years they may have been unable to go out to work or have their own interests. They may lack the confidence to start going out and joining groups or participating in activities. Carers’ Link helps them too, especially in the first two years after their caring role has ceased. These days, carer services have to go out to tender, which could mean organisations in East Lancashire or even the whole of Lancashire collaborating in a joint bid. However this is managed it’s essential that carers, including young carers, continue to receive the support they so much need. In the evening I went with the Mayoress and her husband to the Mayor and Mayoress of Burnley’s Ball at the Mechanics’ Institute. The room was very tastefully decorated for the occasion. A lot of our Lancashire colleagues were present – Mayors, Mayoresses and Consorts from Blackburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancashire and Wyre, also the Vice-Chairman and his wife from Lancashire County Council, the Town Mayor and Mayoress of Padiham and the Town Mayor of Brierfield. I hadn’t met the Town Mayor of Brierfield, Qamar Shahzad, before but it turned out we have a mutual friend, Hyndburn Councillor Noordad Aziz, and that Qamar sometimes follows my mayoral blog – he said he’d been looking forward to meeting me in person! The Mayor and Mayoress of Burnley, Councillor Frank and Mrs. Gillian Cant, have nominated the North-West Air Ambulance as their charity, so all the proceeds of the evening were being donated to that very worthy cause. We started our meal with vegetable soup and a bread roll. I’d been in a bit of doubt about my choice of main course – Lancashire black pudding chicken – do those two really go together? I didn’t really fancy the vegetarian cannelloni so decided to go for the chicken – it was delicious! The meat was very tender and the black pudding “stuffing” was very fine. The others on my table went for sticky toffee pudding as their dessert but I went for cheese and biscuits. I got a big plate with four different cheeses – two Lancashire and two Yorkshire. I was getting very full by this time but love cheese so I didn’t leave any! There was a charity auction and of course the inevitable raffle, but people are glad to spend money because it’s all going to the chosen charity. People sometimes ask me if I get a “mayor’s allowance” and sometimes whether it’s a “clothing allowance”. Well, first of all I’m a tax-payer so I lose over 20% before I’ve started! Then as I don’t have a partner and have chosen a fellow-Councillor for Mayoress I have to share some with her. Of course we do have to buy some clothes and hats to go out on our engagements. However, I find that I use a lot of the money for putting in collections and for charity fund-raising and donations. If I go to an event like a coffee morning I prefer to give a small donation to the local organisation and/or the charity they’re supporting rather than buying things from the stalls. Also, we usually have to buy our own tickets for other Mayors’ Balls – the days of “freebies” and “civic junketing” are a thing of the past! So yes, I do get a mayoral allowance but I don’t really notice that I’m much better off financially! I don’t think we should be making money out of being civic dignitaries but on the other hand we shouldn’t have to be out of pocket. When I went to the Trafalgar Dinner last Saturday there were collection baskets passed round for all kinds of things but – it’s all for charity, also tips for the catering staff. As far as church collections are concerned, I always say that you can hardly sit in the front rows at the Cathedral wearing a mayoral chain and just put a bit of loose change in the plate. I think Mayors are expected to donate generously as that’s part of our civic role. At the end of the Burnley Ball a band came on stage and we were encouraged to dance. Disco dancing is somewhat restricted when you’re wearing a mayoral chain. The back part of the chain flops about and as for the fob at the front – well, you could do yourself an injury if it smacked you in the face! Anyway, we did our best! Some of us would have liked some “older music” – 60s or Abba, but the band members were probably too young to know that sort of stuff! Anyway, thanks to the Mayor and Mayoress of Burnley for their kind hospitality! I hope they raised a record amount for the North-West Air Ambulance!
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 10:12:13 +0000
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