Death of the Mayor of Croydon - Cllr Jonathan Driver

This morning I heard the very sad news that the Mayor of Croydon Cllr Jonathan Driver had died on New Year's Eve. During my time as mayor I had met Jonathan on many occasions and found him to be a great ambassador of Croydon, he had also attended charity events in Merton including a quiz night in September in which his team won. He was extremely competitive and we shared some friendly banter that night, but it was in a friendly nature and he was a person who had a great sense of humour. My deepest sympathies extend to all his family on their loss and may he rest in peace.

Merton wins 1st prize in New Year's Day Parade

Well the New Year got off to a winning start with our entry in the New Year's Day Parade 'Winter Wonderland' winning 1st Prize and in the process winning The Let's Help London Challenge which all the 23 competing London borough's had entered. For my charities it has also meant winning a prize of £7,500 for my charities, along with a huge glass trophy which will have pride of place in the Mayor's Parlour. To say I am elated is an understatement, I thought we'd do well and get a prize but to come out on top is beyond my wildest dreams. This has to be possibly my best moment since becoming Mayor of Merton last May. In all twelve prizes were awarded and it was counted down from 12th, the award ceremony was for me very nerve wracking and when it was announced all the Merton party were overjoyed at our success.

I would like to thank each and every person involved in the winning Merton entry, I am so proud of everyone and what we have achieved today. Many hours of toil has gone into our success but all the work has been worth it and as a result both my charities; The Wimbledon Guild and The Vine Project will benefit as a result of winning 1st prize.

In terms of the Parade itself it was a fantastic day despite the cold weather, the marching bands from the States were brilliant along with many of the entries into the parade. The New Year's Day Parade is a great spectacle to welcome in the New Year and I would like to thank the organisers of the event for putting on such a wonderful and joyous occasion.

Please click her for a link to New Tube which is a film of the day and of our entry: http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLR_enGB283GB283&resnum=0&q=Youtube%20%2B%20Merton&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLR_enGB283GB283&resnum=0&q=Youtube%20%2B%20Merton&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv&st=day

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009

Another year draws to a close in a few hours time, a year that for me has been a very rewarding one but also one that has gone in a flash. As I look back over the period since I become Mayor in May - I certainly have learned a great deal and have many great memories from 2008.

Anyway, tomorrow sees the dawn of 2009 and as mayor I am off to watch the New Year's Day Parade in London and also support Merton's entry in the parade which is themed around 'Winter Wonderland'.

The entry from Merton will be a spectacular one and will include a bike-riding reindeer will pulling a white sleigh carrying the snow king and queen who will be joined by snow people, elves, fairies, polar bears and two giant stilt walkers. It is all very colourful and hopefully it we will do very well as any prizes we gain go to my charities which are The Wimbledon Guild and The Vine Project.

My colleague and past Mayor of Merton, Cllr Geraldine Stanford has also done a fantastic job in co-ordinating the float, and getting so many people involved in our entry. I also have others to thank including Peter Walder from Abbey Mills, Russel Humphries from the Wimbledon Guild, Cllr Linda Kirby for putting together the the Winter Wonderland theme song(and fantastic to hear) and also everyone involved in putting together the costumes. I would also like to thank all the children involved in the parade which has included students of Wimbledon Chase school recording the Winter Wonderland theme song. Also as well to the countless number of people participating on behalf of Merton, at the last count it was 40+, my appreciation is extended to everyone involved.

It will be an exciting start to 2009, but one I am looking forward to despite the predicted freezing weather(at least the forecast is for dry weather!)My fingers are crossed for success tomorrow, but whatever the result I am very proud of the effort everyone has put in.

I hope everyone in Merton has a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2009!

Merry Christmas

I would just to like to wish everyone in Merton a Merry Christmas, it is also the season of goodwill along with thinking of others and on Christmas Day I will be visiting St Helier Hospital in the morning, followed by a lunch in Mitcham parish church centre.

Merton Staff Excellence Awards

On Thursday I attended the the Merton Staff Excellance Awards at Hilton Hotel in Croydon. The awards are an annual awards, and they are presented to the best teams in council departments, along with individual staff members'. Bring mayor you regonise even more the contribution staff make across the council, along with their dedication and commitment to the council. This event is also an oppurtunity to thank them for their work and service to the council, along with rewarding teams for their excellance. I enjoyed the event immesley and the awards are richly deserved.

Ricards Lodge & specialist arts status

Over the last month I've been at Ricards Lodge School in Wimbledon for three seperate events, the most recent being the award of specialist school status for the arts. To celebrate this award, they had a celebration event at the school last Tuesday which included a performance of Shakespeare, Charleston dancing and an egyptian dance performance with recycled dresses to the Bangles hit 'Walk Like an Egyptian'. The event was a brilliant perfomance, and my congratulations goes to the head Alison Gerrard and all her staff on achieving this status, they also managed to raise £50,000 in sponsorship which is no-mean achievement. The students are also a credit to their school, and I thought their performances were outstanding, indeed it would put many of the X factor constestants' to shame!

Lord Mayor's show

My congratulations goes to the new Lord Mayor of London, Ian Luder on becoming the new Lord Mayor. On Saturday, I attended the Lord Mayor's show which despite the torrential rain, was a very colourful and lively procession through the streets of London. The sheer diversity of the floats, along with the various themes makes it a such a wonderful and joyous occasion in the London calendar.