Mayoral Viewpoint: Cllr Mike Booth
With a stormier start to the month of December than we might have expected, the Mayoress and I have been fortunate to have a very busy and rewarding month full of festive cheer.
The end of November marked the start of Christmas light switch-on season for Hyndburn, and it has been a pleasure to see everyone’s festive spirits so high. Who could forget that amazing night in Accrington with pop star Martin Kemp as the DJ switching on the lights, and twelve thousand people filling Broadway for a fantastic celebration of this season.
We also had the joy of attending switch-on events at Clayton-le-Moors, Baxenden, Great Harwood, Rishton, and then for the first time at Fern Gore. It is very satisfying seeing the Borough looking so bright and colourful, especially set to the soundtrack of East 17’s live performance at this past weekend’s Christmas Extravaganza in Great Harwood.
This past week, the Mayoress and I have also thoroughly enjoyed several Christmas events, including: Community Carol Singing with Accrington Stanley FC, Schools Together Carol Service at St Mary’s RC Church, Community Solutions Christmas Markets at Elmfield Hall, Comfort by Candlelight in Rishton, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Carol Service, and many more. Our days have been filled with the wonderful sounds of residents, young and old, singing in choirs and enjoying the magic of Christmas, and all our efforts to bring hope, joy, help and support to people with our chosen charities will continue into the New Year.
The Mayor’s Youth Challenge has been taken up by a number of secondary schools already and as expected, they have come up with some great ideas for fundraising. We have also been helped by the East Lancashire Hospice, Carer’s Link and Red Rose Recovery in this endeavour. Close to St. Valentine’s Day, the Mayor’s Charity ‘Red’ Ball is to be held on Saturday 15th February 2025 in the 1968 Hospitality Lounge at the Wham stadium. We are open to sponsorship and support from local businesses for this event with raffle prizes and items for auction on the night. Tickets go on sale shortly at £45.
As we move into the height of the festive season, the old Christmas songs can be heard once more around the townships of Hyndburn. Like most people the Mayoress and I have our favourites, and Fairy Tale of New York is definitely one of ours. For us, it captures so much more of what Christmas is in this world. The singer Shane McGowan passed away over a year ago now but how many people know that he helped fund the help given to homeless people in Ireland. In this spirit, if you see us both on Broadway (Accrington) singing our rendition with a donation bucket, don’t be surprised because one of our charities is aimed at supporting the ACT Street Angels who reach out to these people.
So much has been achieved in the first half of our Mayoral term and we are now looking forward to celebrating Christmas with our families and then in the New Year, we will continue to see how the good people of Hyndburn are making a better life for everyone in our townships in 2025.
As this is my final Mayor’s Viewpoint before the end of the year, the Mayoress and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.