6th April
Seaham Town Hall was the venue for the Seaham Mayor’s Ball. Sea cadets welcomed guests by ‘whistling’ them into the hall. A bagpiper prefaced the entrance of Mayor Jenny Bell, who made a welcome speech. The large contingent of guests enjoyed a 3 course meal while being entertained by Seaham Academy Wind Band and later their Singers plus 60s trio, The Persuaders from Redcar. There was a toast to the King, a grace before the food, a giant teddy bear raffle, a massive tombola stall, a bottle draw and an envelope draw. The Mayor of twin town Gerlingen, who was there with a party of 40 Germans, presented a cheque for 1,000 euros for the Mayor’s charities. A great night out.
6th April
The Mayor and Consort attended another successful Parish Hall Coffee Morning organised by Sedgefield in Bloom. His little granddaughter, Norah will be claiming the Easter Egg prize the Mayor won, he expects.
6th April
The Mayor and Consort spent another interesting half day at the Aycliffe & District Bus Preservation Museum Open Day. There’s always something new to see there and it’s free! They enjoyed 2 circular rides round Aycliffe; all part of the fun.
8th April
The Mayor and Consort were delighted to go to the Local History Society talk tonight in Ceddesfeld Hall, given by Dave Clark, Chair of Aycliffe and District Bus Preservation Society. Assisted by interjections from his colleague Mike, they were treated to a most interesting potted history of the Museum and how their fleet of buses was assembled over 44 years. Fascinating stuff.
12th April
Fantastic Mayor’s Fashion Show and Craft Fair tonight in the Parish Hall. Huge thanks to Lily Ho, who brought almost the entire stock across from Betty’s Boudoir tonight for me and then was MC for the evening, Natalie Barron on the stall, the gorgeous models for strutting their stuff, Judith and Viv on the bar, Chris Balfour for running the raffle solo, Ciaran Alexandra for being a runner, Karina Butterworth and Lil on door duty, the craft stallholders and the Chain Gang for supporting my final event.
12th April
The Mayor popped in to the Parish Hall after his Council Meeting to have a chat with Victoria Anne and Sedgefield Youth Club at their Coffee Morning. The Hall was not as full as usual, which was a shame as the cakes looked delectable and almost too good to eat.
14th April
The Mayor and Consort attended The Chair of North Yorkshire’s Civic Service today in St. Oswald’s Church, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, followed by lunch at The Coniston Hotel, Coniston Cold, Skipton. Great food and great company. Thank you to David and Sandra for inviting them.
16th April
The Mayor and Consort popped in to the Memory Café in the Methodist Church Hall this morning and quickly became involved in an exercise session while seated, which was enjoyable, before chatting with people over a cup of tea and a cake. What a great social group this is. They also met two of the staff and some residents from Willowdene, who invited them to come along to their next social event.
20th April
The Mayor and Consort were pleased to attend the Coffee Morning on Friday run by St. Edmund’s Church in the Parish Hall. It was well-attended with some new faces amongst the regular supporters. It was great to see good friend Gillian Bowman on raffle duty after her recent illness.
20th April
The Mayor and Consort attended a splendid Civic Dinner for Durham’s Mayor in the magnificent Durham Town Hall, with Lord Lieutenant Sue Snowdon as guest of honour, PCC Joy Allen and Erin Wright representing St Cuthbert’s Hospice, the Mayor’s chosen charity. It was a fantastic night in a truly glorious setting with great food and great company.
20th April The Mayor and Consort paid a visit to Mordon Village Hall for their Coffee Morning on Saturday. There was a distinct buzz in the air from the people present. It’s a thriving community.
22nd April
The Mayor and Consort were pleased to attend an afternoon get together in Gateshead Civic Centre, as guests of Mayor Eileen McMaster. Maceman Ken gave an interesting discourse on the history of the Official Mace and Robe in great detail, which was fascinating. St Joseph’s RC Primary School Choir provided the musical entertainment after a splendid buffet. The Mayor’s good friend, Feeding Families’ Sarah McPhie (pictured) from Sedgefield was amongst the guests.
24th April
There was a quiz with a difference tonight at Spennymoor Town Hall, hosted by quizmaster Ian Geldard and his glamorous assistant, Sadie. Pie and peas kept everyone well fed and a Golden Ticket Raffle as well as a normal raffle ensured that everyone was entertained. A packed Town Hall bore witness to the success of the event. Our Mayor and Consort avoided the booby prizes quite comfortably. Well done Ian and Sadie on putting on a great evening.
25th April
The Mayor and Consort attended a farewell dinner at East Durham College in Peterlee (where Tim Jasper was MD for several shows) as guests of Mayor Audrey Laing. The students put on an excellent meal and were very attentive. It was a lovely, relaxing evening, chatting and reminiscing on the Mayoral year(s). Thank you to Audrey for organising it all.
26th April
Friday Coffee Morning for Sedgefield Veterans today. There was a good turnout and a great buzz of conversations. Norma Neal gave a short talk on a very special event coming up, when Edwin Banks’ Death Penny and King’s Scroll from 1918 are reunited at St Edmund’s Church on Sunday afternoon, when Edwin’s granddaughter, Auriel (83) will be present. The framed King’s Scroll, acquired by The James Garnett Foundation, will then be placed inside the Church, alongside the Winterton Memorial, which has Edwin’s name upon it.
#lestweforget
26th April
The Mayor and Consort attended a great night at Mayor Brian Nelson’s Charity Evening at Meadowfield and District Social Club with ‘How’s Tricks?’ providing the musical entertainment and a giant tombola, a raffle and a couple of games all adding to the fun. Brian has just completed 40 years as a Parish Councillor and was presented with a framed certificate. Great to catch up with good friends Jimmy Jamieson and Frank Bonner. Over £1,400 was raised. Well done Brian and Susan.
27th April
The Mayor and his Consort attended a Coffee, Choirs and Cake event in a packed Ceddesfeld Hall this morning, which was raising funds for the 3 choirs – it’s the 50th Anniversary of the Lyrics this year – and a big celebration is planned for the summer. SLYC wowed the audience with many of their songs but especially the ‘Hairspray’ medley. Lirica gave their usual solid performance including Toto’s ‘Africa’. There’s a lot of musical talent on show in Sedgefield. The cakes were delicious too.
28th April
The Mayor and Consort were invited to the Ferryhill Mayor’s Civic Ball tonight held at the Ferryhill Sport and Education Centre,8 with sound and lighting run by CDB Production Solutions. ‘Mamma Said’ from Sedgefield provided the excellent musical entertainment and Curtis Bihari gave a moving speech highlighting his chosen charity, The Teenage Cancer Trust. A raffle and an auction added to the fun on the night. Thanks for the invitation, Curtis. Lovely to catch up with Carole Atkinson, Peter Atkinson, Vicky Collins and Abbie Collins.
29th April
The Mayor and Consort attended a farewell dinner, hosted by Shildon Mayor Shirley Quinn at the Civic Centre. It was a chance to bid farewell to Mayor and Consort friends (and their chauffeurs) in a relaxing, convivial atmosphere. Thank you for organising an event with an end-of-term feel, Shirley and Peter.