Farewell speech to council

Well my year came to an end on Wednesday, and at the meeting they elected Cllr Nick Draper as my successor. I would like to to congratulate him on being elected. Being the outgoing mayor involved making a retiring speech to council and below is the speech I made in response to a resolution passed by council marking my year of office. I've had a great time but now its all over, and since standing down last Wednesday it has allowed me to get some much needed rest, and do things I haven't been able to do for a while!

The text of the speech is below

Mr Mayor, Deputy Lieutenant, Councillors, distinguished guests

Mr Mayor, firstly I would like to congratulate you on your election as Mayor.

Having known you for a number of years I know that you’ll make a fantastic ambassador for the Borough of Merton and will no doubt serve the borough with great distinction over the next year.

I also know that the mayoress Sheila will be an excellent support during your year in office.

You are now at the start of an amazing voyage of discovery, you will find out things you never knew before and learn a great deal about the Borough of Merton.

Serving as Mayor of the Borough has been a great privilege, and every day I have served in this role has been a wonderful honour.

The time went by in a flash, it seems like only yesterday I was on this dais making my acceptance speech, but let me say Mr Mayor it has been a remarkable year, and one that I’ve enjoyed immensely.

One year on, it’s been a very demanding year and I’ve probably spent the last few weeks of the mayoralty running on adrenalin, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Being mayor, you are not here to serve any sectoral or special interest, or show favour to any group but to act as a representative of Borough putting politics to one side and acting first and foremost for the London Borough of Merton and all its constituent parts.

It is the duty and responsibly of all of us to unite behind whoever this council chooses as mayor as the office of mayor is one that his here to serve the people of Merton.

Over the course of the year you also get to meet many amazing people, only last week we had the Merton Civic Awards and so many genuine examples of achievement by individuals and groups.

As a borough it is right we recognise service, many of them have never sought recognition for their work, they just get on with it and its right that we as a Borough give awards that recognise achievement.

Across Merton we have many unsung heroes and over the past year I’ve met hundreds over the past year, the foster carers looking after some of our most vulnerable children, the volunteers who spend 20 hours a week helping older people in a day centre, the scout leaders who run packs during the week, the charity fundraisers who devote themselves to raising funds that will have an impact on people lives. The list is endless and they deserve our genuine and heartfelt praise.

It is also why I’ve had over 25 receptions in the borough recognising service but also thanking them on behalf over of the borough. Over 400 people have visited the parlour this year and its right as Mayor that holding receptions was my opportunity to give thanks on behalf of the borough.

Mr Mayor, I also give thanks to the extraordinary generosity of people in the borough, thank you to everyone her who has supported my charity events, both The Wimbledon Guild and The Vine Project will benefit greatly and to the tune of over £45,000. This is an incredible total especially in these economically difficult times that we face today.

Some of the events have also been incredibly fun, the Valentines Ball on my birthday was a particular highlight and it was certainly a birthday party to remember but one that was incredibly successful in raising money which will make a real difference to people lives.

St Patrick’s Night was also a highlight as I am particularly proud of my Irish background, and of course we celebrate in style! We are a borough of many different cultures, races that all in our own contribute in our own way to make Merton such a diverse community and over the past year I have had the opportunity of celebrating a number of different events from the numerous communities we have her in Merton.

Also as well I could not the let the moment pass without mentioning winning the New Years Day Parade along with a cheque for £7,500 to the charities with our Winter Wonderland float celebrating our green and open spaces. When it was announced that Merton had won it was a moment to savour, and one of the very great moments of the year. To win from 22 showed that in Merton we have the capacity to get things done, and to put together a remarkable entry involving over 50 people was quite an incredible achievement. To Cllr Geraldine Stanford who co-ordinated the entry thank you, for Cllr Linda Kirby who wrote Winter Wonderland music with its very catchy chorus song and everyone who supported the entry including children from Wimbledon Chase school who did the vocals. The day itself may have been cold but winning more then made up for it, and yes I greatly enjoyed the bragging rights that came with winning.

In Merton we also have some incredible schools, and they also provided some of the highlights of the year. Testing out the water at the opening of the new beach facility at Liberty along with the then Head of Liberty, Chris King was certainly one of the more memorable moments. Earlier today my last engagement was at Joseph Hood where they performed a concert, in a way it was quite a poignant moment, a fitting way to end the year but going to schools has been uplifting and inspiring, and having gone to over 40 schools in the borough it has taught me a great deal but also allowed me to see all the amazing work that goes on, along with seeing so many talented children. The recent Music is for Life concert at the Royal Albert Hall was a particular highlight of the year

Sport is also one of my passions, and as mayor it was a great highlight to raise the Olympic flag at the Beijing handover last year. More recently the success of AFC Wimbledon has been fantastic and its great to see what has gone on at the club over the past seven years, hopefully for you Mr Mayor will see AFC Wimbledon regain its rightful place in the football league, now that will be a celebration to remember!

Now the mayoralty is only a success due to a number of people, and I have many people to thanks.

My deputy, Cllr Krysia Williams and her consort Grenville. Over the past year you have provided great support and have helped immensely in undertaking over 100 engagements throughout the year. I have valued your advice and you have made a fantastic Deputy for the borough, and I value greatly the work when I’ve been unable to perform mayoral duties.

To Hilary Gullen, my secretary thank you for all your work over the past year, for your efficiency, your advice and giving that support in enabling me to undertake the role. Sometimes I may have been a bit stressed out, but you were always fantastic in reassuring me and getting things done.

For Carl Brown; my attendant, chauffeur, photographer and for the numerous other tasks that you perform with such dedication and commitment. While Mayors come and go each year, Carl provides that continuity, indeed it’s probably fair to say that he is better known throughout Merton then the Mayor, his good humour has been welcome along with his support. It has also not been easy for him either as over the past year he has collected me from just about every station in Merton as I’ve spent my time shuffling between work and undertaking mayoral duties, I am ever so grateful and owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Paul Bateman, Member Services Manager for providing support to the mayoral office and for his helpfulness throughout my mayoral year.

I would also like to thank Carol and Steve Vincent who have provided support to the mayoral office.

To Sir John Wheeler, DL for Merton for your service on behalf of the borough, but also in ensuring that all the Royal visits went very smoothly.

Can I also thank the town crier, Peter Moore, unfortunately Peter suffered a very minor heart attack at the weekend, and I’m sure I speak for all in wishing him a speedy recovery.

My consort and mother for being there along with being such great support, also Catherine O’Neill for attending engagements with me I hope you’ve enjoyed the experience as much and also my ward colleague, Zenia Jamsion. I think we’d all agree that we’ve had some fun moments along the way.

Finally, my thanks to all the councillors, chairing council meeting is never the most memorable of experiences but I would like to thank all of you for your conduct throughout the year. I may have been tough at times but fair as I believe its important as mayor to show impartiality in chairing meetings. Can I also thank you for the many kind remarks from members of all sides, I am deeply touched.

Mr Mayor, at the end of the year I am proud to have served as 44th Mayor of Merton, and to have serve the people of Merton as its Mayor.

Stand fast in honour and strength.

Bowing out

One day left! and by this time tomorrow I will be the past Mayor of Merton. It has been a remarkable and an amazing year, I have enjoyed every moment and having the opportunity of serving the people of Merton has been a great privilege. Tonight I spent finalising my farewell speech to council, not the easiest of tasks but one that has one to be done. A great year and one that I'll remember for a long time to come.

Merton Civic Awards

Last week as mayor I hosted the first ever Civic Awards ceremony at the Civic Centre in Morden.

The Civic Awards were established to recognise achievement in the borough by groups and individuals who had made a difference to the borough. Over 60 applicants applied and last week we awarded a number of awards to groups and individuals including winners and highly commended. This included the presentation of the Young Person's Award, the Community Contribution Award, the Community Group Award and the London Borough of Merton Award for outstanding achievement.

Among the winners of the awards included Oyeronke Oyerinde a year 6 Cranmer school who won the young person's outstanding achievement for writing 'Its a Beam' for the 2012 Olympics which was performed at the council meeting in September, and across Merton. Also rewarded was Paul Strank, a businessman who has contributed a great deal to the borough in charitable work, but also a major benefactor of AFC Wimbledon. Our main award, The London Borough of Merton award was won by Jessie Waldron, who has worked tirelessly at St Raphael's Hospice for over twenty years and has been an active volunteer.

The event itself was extremely successful and was followed by a reception in the Mayor's Parlour.

AFC Wimbledon Civic Reception event

Last Tuesday I held a very successful reception for AFC Wimbledon at the Civic Centre attended by over 100 people. At the reception I presented to the president of the club, Dickie Guy a framed certificate with the mayoral seal celebrating their achievement in being promoted to the conference. The trophy was also paraded from the balcony at the Civic Centre in Morden. It has been a great year for AFC, and as mayor ir has been a great honour to hold a reception in their honour and to have had the opportunity to celebrate their considerable success over the past year.

AFC Wimbledon Civic Reception

Details of the AFC Wimbledon Civic Reception which I am hosting at Merton Civic Centre in Morden on Tuesday at 7.30pm. Fans will be able to see their favourite players as they step out onto the Civic Centre balcony proudly holding their trophy up high for all to see.

Merton Council celebrates AFC Wimbledon's success
01 May 2009

Merton Council is to host a party next week (5 May 2009) to celebrate AFC Wimbledon's promotion to the Blue Square Conference Premier League, the team's fourth promotion in seven years.

Merton's Mayor Councillor Martin Whelton will welcome the club to the Civic Centre in Morden where a reception will be laid on to congratulate the team on this major achievement.

Fans will be able to see their favourite players as they step out onto the Civic Centre balcony proudly holding their trophy up high for all to see.

This latest celebration follows the official opening of a permanent memorabilia exhibition at Morden Library last year when treasures from the team's glory days were unveiled by legendary Wimbledon FC stars Dave Beasant, Roy Law and Lawrie Sanchez. Specially-designed glass display cases in Morden Library house many items including a miniature FA Cup from 1988, the football from the first game played by Wimbledon FC following the club's 1977 promotion to the Football League, archive photography, and match programmes.

Mayor of Merton Councillor Martin Whelton said: "This is marvellous news for the team and for Merton. The players should be proud of their hard work to achieve such a promotion. AFC Wimbledon is a team built on passion for football and the cultural importance of Wimbledon Football Club. It was wonderful to see players and fans, old and new here last year when the FA Cup came to Merton and Wimbledon FC's memorabilia was given its rightful home within the borough. I congratulate the team for their fantastic achievement and wish them even more success in the future."

AFC Wimbledon president Dickie Guy said: "I am ecstatic at the team's performance. We had a great day on Saturday after winning the final game of the season. All our loyal fans came out to party with us. With a fan base like ours we can't go wrong. The support we have from them spurs us on to perform better and better. I'm looking forward to next season now with more wins and who knows, more promotions."

Morris men on Wimbledon Common

May Day saw a very early start with the Greensleeves Morris Men having their annual morris dancing on Wimbledon Common to celebrate the start of the summer season. The event itself takes place at 5.30am in the morning, a very early start and takes place in front of the windmill on the common. The event itself saw a variety of different morris dances, with some dating back hundreds of years. It was wonderful to see, especially with the mist rising over the common. Following the display I was treated to an excellant full english breakfast where poems and songs were sung. All in all it was a very traditional event but a great way to see in May, and the summer season which is nearly upon us!

Coming to an end

Hard to believe that my time in office is coming to an end in just over two weeks time. It has been a wonderful year to date, and before I leave office I have a packed schedule ahead with many different functions to attend, along with duties to peform. This includes the Merton Civic Awards on 6th May, but also hosting the reception for the victorious AFC Wimbledon team. It has been a fantastic year, and I've emjoyed myself immensly in undertaking the role, it may be tiring at times but it has been a great honour. The time for goodbyes is not far away but its certainly a year I'll never forget.