The Mayor of Preston's August blog
20 September 2022
Hello and welcome to the next blog in my monthly series. I decided to postpone this month's blog in respect of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. I will devote the majority of my next blog to the sorrow we all felt at her passing. In this blog however, I wanted to ensure that all my August engagements were not overlooked as there have been many important events and I have met many inspiring people.
August has been another busy month both for me and my Consort Dan
Firstly, it was an honour to attend the centenary celebrations of the birth of Pramukh Swami Maharaj - a great holy man whose influence in life is still felt in the community today in Preston, Blackpool, the North West and beyond. Blackpool Tower was illuminated in his colours to honour his memory as were the lights on our own Preston Markets canopy.
I visited the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Prince's Trust Preston Deepdale Team 47 this month. They completed their course and received their well- earned presentations. They have all got so much potential! Keep up the hard work and best of luck for your next goals!
In September, I'm excited to be running the Preston 10k raising money for the Mayor's Charities - Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity and the Intact Centre. Consort Dan will also be running the first mile, so if you see us passing at any point through the city, do give us a wave. You can kindly support us by donating here: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/neil-preston
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to open the Sue Ryder Summer Fayre at their new care centre, just off Eastway in Fulwood. Amazing to see so many friendly faces - particularly former Preston councillor Danny Gallagher! Thanks to Chris for showing us around and being a great sport in the stocks!
Also this month, I had the honour of hosting the Deepdale Community Association in the Mayor's Parlour to thank them for their hard work in the community - and a belated presentation of the Mayor's City Hero Award for their work during the Pandemic.
It was lovely to meet Monty when he visited the Mayor's Parlour to hear his plans for Young Legal Eagles - teaching children about their rights and simplifying the law for children. Such an outstanding initiative led by an inspiring young ambassador for his programme! Monty is planning to teach his programme at schools in Preston and across the county to school that have expressed interest.
Special event for Ukraine
On 21 August, the Council hosted a Solidarity Sunday for Ukraine on Preston's Flag Market. It was wonderful to see the support for Ukrainians from the people of Preston and we were even featured on BBC North West Tonight. We heard so many moving stories from those who have come here to escape the war. It was heart-warming to meet so many who told how welcome they have been made to feel in our city and fitting that I laid a wreath at our cenotaph to remember all those who have lost their lives. We in Preston continue to stand by our Ukrainian friends and look forward to peace returning to Europe.
The mention of Solidarity Sunday also leads me nicely to a partnership where our twin city Kalisz sent a plea for help to raise funds to send much needed items to another of their twin cities - Kamianets-Podilskyi. As a result of this request, more than £3,000 was raised and sent to the Polish Red Cross via Kalisz, and the goods were then sent on into Ukraine.
A Notice of Motion in April's Council requested that the Mayor of Preston write to the Mayor of Kamianets-Podilskyi to express the friendship and solidarity of the City of Preston with the City of Kamianets-Podilskyi.
I took this letter and delivered it personally when I visited Kalisz in Poland earlier this year. Whilst in Kalisz, I met with the representatives from the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi where I was able to hand them the letter in person. After returning from Kalisz, as a symbol of our friendship and to acknowledge the donations of Prestonians towards the Kalisz-led aid for Kamianets-Podilskyi, a certificate of friendship was drawn up and signed. In the future, we aim to explore what may be possible for both cities.
I really enjoyed visiting Preston Community Hub for their Summer Fair this month. A brilliant event for a brilliant organisation! I hope everyone that attended had as much fun as I did - particularly the raffle winners!
It was an honour to represent Preston at our twin city of Recklinghausen as we celebrated 65 years of our partnership. As the pandemic reduced our ability to meet, we are rebuilding again with renewed partnerships which will benefit people in both of our cities. In particular we are keen to work together to help young people, expanding horizons and bringing new opportunities to them in Preston and Recklinghausen.
It was a great experience to listen to His Eminence Shaykh Habib Kazim al-Saqqaf over the bank holiday weekend, giving an educational talk on breaking down the misconceptions surrounding Islam. The Quaker Meeting House on St George's Road was full of people eager to hear his presentation.
And finally, I was delighted to meet a Norwegian group recently from Bike For Peace who stopped overnight in Preston on their cycling tour. Their message of peace and friendship was inspiring to hear. And they are a great advert for the health benefits of cycling! On behalf of Preston, I wish them the best for the rest of your journey and join them in wishing for peace in Ukraine.
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There will be more detail about my engagements, including welcoming the Earl and Countess of Wessex to Preston and of course, the passing of Her Late Majesty, in my next blog so hope to you'll join me again then.
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