The Mayor of Preston's January blog 2023

First of all, I wish you all a Happy New Year! We look forward to a wonderful 2023 for Preston and hope for peace to prevail around the world this year.

This year, I began celebrating Christmas and the New Year with the Friends of Preston. An outstanding event and an amazing start to my 2023 calendar! A big thank you for inviting me and thanks for all the work you do in the community throughout the year in our city.

On 10 January my Consort Dan and I celebrated the installation of Revd Linda as Rector of Ribbleton. It was wonderful to hear of her work and I look forward to seeing her bringing her enthusiasm to our community here in Preston. Welcome to our city, Linda and Pete!

We enjoyed helping at Intact Centre for the Community Lunch last month. It was lovely to see and speak to so many people. Thank you to Intact for all their great work in the community! It's always amazing to see how much hard work they do for people - I'm proud that they are one of my Mayoral charities.

If you managed to get a copy of Live Preston and Fylde magazine's January issue, you'll know what a fantastic job they did of featuring my blog - I was delighted, thank you so much!

We also enjoyed a fantastic evening at the Preston Swimming Club Preston Swimming Club Awards Night. There are so many amazing young athletes putting Preston on the map - and made possible by so many great coaches and volunteers. We look forward to seeing more successes in the future!

I enjoyed a wonderful day with the Preston Telugu Community Association as they gathered to celebrate Sankranti in an amazing display of traditional songs and dances, and hearing about their ongoing work in the community. Thank you for welcoming us!

On January 18, we had the opportunity to meet and thank members from all the "Friends of" parks groups that work so hard to improve our public spaces across Preston. So many wonderful people volunteering their time all year round - thank you for everything you do.

I first met the Preston Roller Derby at Preston Pride last year - and got to join them for their intake day on 5 February at Preston College! They are a wonderful group and I have to encourage people to get involved. It's a fun sport with a great local team!

The celebrations for the Lunar New Year outside University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) were great!  Such a loud, colourful, and vibrant event getting everyone involved. I am delighted that they were then able to return to the Flag Market recently to repeat their displays again in the city centre for everyone to enjoy. I wish everyone a very happy, prosperous and peaceful year for the Year of the Rabbit! 恭祝各位農曆新年快樂，事事如意, 恭喜發財！

On Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January, we remembered the victims of genocide and survivors of the most heinous crimes against humanity. It is up to us all to live up to the promise of "Never Again". Along with landmarks across the world, Preston Markets were lit in purple in remembrance and respect.

We spent a most enjoyable evening watching the incredible Hall Players at the Preston Playhouse Theatre - an amazing performance of Dead Ringer. We're exciting to see what performances they are planning next.

We visited Cupboard Love at St Michael's church in Ashton. They provide 'pay what you're able' food for people locally. Astounding to see their hard work and impact on the community - thanks for all you do. I support your hope that one day you won't be needed.

It was also exciting to see the plans put forward by Plungington Community Land Trust for the development of Emmanuel Church into a centre for the community. I look forward to seeing their future success in preserving a historic community landmark for the benefit of all.

We joined the festivities for India's Republic Day at the Gujarat Hindu Society, where we were entertained by their excellent performances. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the links between Preston and India, as well as our shared values.

We also attended Disability Equality  for their AGM, which I had the honour of opening. DENW do so much amazing work throughout the year to support people across Preston (and beyond), and it was lovely to speak to so many of their members today and supporters. It was a particular honour to present the Lesley Finley Award to Emma, celebrating her hard work over the last year - along with a number of well-earned special mentions shortlisted for the award for all of their work.

Carry on your great work, everyone involved. You're inspirational!

And before I sign off, the Mayor's Coronation Ball will be coming up on 29 April and tickets will soon be available. All monies raised will be going towards the Mayoral charities - Intact Centre and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charities. Any businesses wanting to sponsor the event should get in touch with the Mayor's office by emailing themayor@preston.gov.uk.

You can find out about my other visits on my Facebook page at Facebook - Preston Mayor and you can also follow me on X - Preston Mayor.

There will be more detail about my engagements across Preston and beyond, in my next blog, so hope you'll join me again then.