Agenda item

To consider any announcements by the Mayor in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 3(2)(ii).

The Mayor was sad to learn of the passing of former Consort, Kingsley Jack, last month and would be attending the funeral later this month.  Kingsley was Consort between May 2005 and 2006.  The Council’s condolences go out to his family.

The Mayor also confirmed she was keeping the venue for the next Council meeting under review along with any mitigations required in any return to the Council Chamber.  Rotherham Covid case rates continued to be the highest in South Yorkshire and, therefore, it was necessary to continue to monitor the situation ahead of any decision being taken.  Apologies were given to Members who felt they were being inconvenienced by the current arrangements for Council, but it was a matter of safety.

The Mayor  welcomed the opportunity to report on a number of engagements:-

·           Attendance on 30th September for the Queen’s Award for Innovation Presentation by the Lord Lieutenant to the Marsden Weighing Machine Group for their revolutionary Patient Transfer Scale.  In 2016, Marsden partnered with the NHS to bring the device to market and it was now sold worldwide and helping to improve patient outcomes.

·           5th October saw the installation of the Master Cutler, Mr. James Tear, in Sheffield.

·           9th and 10th October was the re-opening of Rotherham’s Cancer Care Unit, which had been closed during the pandemic, on Badsley Moor Lane, and then the Wakefield Mayor’s Civic Service and Parade on the Saturday with the Sheffield Lord Mayor’s Civic Service on the Sunday.

·           14th October involved an evening of music and entertainment courtesy of The Dinnington Operatic Society, who performed a revue show entitled ‘It’s Time for a Musical’.

·           16th October saw the Mayor’s Charity Ball at Magna which was a wonderful evening and a tremendous success and grateful thanks were given to everyone who helped to organise it and to those who came along on the evening.

·           Respects were paid at the Yorkshire Miners’ Memorial Service in Barnsley on 17th October.

·           20th October saw the Naval Regional Commander's Official Reception and Demonstration evening in Leeds, aimed at promoting the work of regional maritime organisations.

·           An update was held with a representative from the Yorkshire Regiment on 21st October and heard about what they had been doing and about their future plans. 

·           Voluntary Action Rotherham health engagement stall was also visited in the market as part of their Breast Cancer Awareness event.

·           Attendance at the Rotherham United versus Milton Keynes football match on 23rd October which Rotherham won 3-0.

·           Attendance at the Centenary Dinner hosted by the Dinnington Branch of the Royal British Legion.

·           Back to the indoor market again on 28th October for the launch of the poppy appeal handing out awards and admiring the poppy cascade.

·           Later saw the live draw for the Women’s Euros 2022 followed by the Lord Lieutenant Awards Ceremony at Endcliffe Hall, Sheffield, for the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for Yorkshire and the Humber.

·           This month saw the opening of the recently refurbished activity room at Rush House on 5th November meeting staff and residents.

·           Attendance at the Installation of the Dean of Sheffield, Reverend Canon Abigail Thompson, at Sheffield Cathedral on 6th November.

·           Attendance at Maltby Miners Memorial Dedication on Maltby High Street.  The memorial was planned some years ago to be dedicated to the local miners and its completion had been held up by the pandemic. 

·           Armistice Day would be on the 11th November joining Reverend Batchford and the Royal British Legion to observe two minutes’ silence at 11.00 a.m. in All Saints Square. 

·           14th November would be in Clifton Park for Remembrance Sunday where both the parade and service would be held.