Agenda item

It was MOVED by Councillor Derek Smith and SECONDED by Councillor Duncan Anderson, that the Council place on record its thanks and appreciation to Councillor Linda Curran for the manner in which she had fulfilled her role as Chair of Council for the 2019/20 Municipal Year.

Councillor Linda Curran responded as follows:-

“Good evening everyone.

When I was chosen to serve as Civic Mayor in May last year  it was, and remains, one of the proudest moments of my life.

At that time, none of us could have imagined what lay ahead. The corona virus continues to impact on all of our lives. Many of us have lost family, friends and colleagues to this dreadful virus and we are all trying to adjust to a new way of living in order to keep safe. Difficult times lay ahead but in the past few months I have been humbled and inspired by the way our communities have pulled together to support each other and make sure that the most vulnerable are cared for and looked after..

I am so grateful and proud of our NHS workers, carers, keyworkers and front line staff who have continued to work under extreme pressure throughout this pandemic and I thank them for the work that they have done and continue to do.

They say ‘a week is a long time in politics’; well, so sometimes is a ‘civic year’! In my case 16 months, and whilst we acknowledge what is happening, and the impact that it has had, on all of us, I do not wish it to define my year because, it was, for the most part, memorable for all the right reasons.

It would take far too long to tell you about the many inspirational and wonderful people that I have had the pleasure and the privilege of meeting. People who work tirelessly for the benefit of others;  volunteers who give up their time freely, without recognition or reward, to help make life a little easier or better for the most vulnerable in our community.

 There have been so many highlights that it is impossible to pick a favourite moment or to thank everyone individually, so I would just like to say a very heartfelt thank you to every individual and organisation that extended an invitation to me and to all those people who attended and supported mayoral events during my period of office.

As you know, at the start of the year I chose Firefly as my charity to support during my year in office. It is a tremendous charity, they do a fantastic job and I am sorry that many of my fundraising events were cancelled and I was unable to raise as much as I had hoped.  It is a very difficult time for them, and indeed a great many charities who depend on fundraising events to keep going and I hope that we can all find ways of supporting them going forward.

On a personal note, I would like to say a big thank you to my family and friends. It would have been impossible for me to carry out the role of Civic Mayor, and a councillor, without their unstinting support, loyalty, love and understanding.

I would also like to record my thanks to my fellow ward Councillors for Hatfield, Councillors Derek Smith and Duncan Anderson. They have been a tremendous support, taking on additional work to allow me to carry out my role as Civic Mayor. A huge thank you to both of you.

A final thank you to the team of officers in the Civic Office, David, Mandy and Dave who have provided support throughout the year making sure I am at the right place at the right time, organising events and generally guiding through the role of Civic Mayor. A special mention to Paul Lawson, who retired last year after more than 25 years in the role of Civic Chauffeur and Attendant. I am assured this was a planned retirement and nothing that I said or did!!

I would like to finish by wishing my successor Councillor Wray all the very best during his time as Civic Mayor. It will, no doubt, be a very different experience from that he had the last time he held the office. I hope that, in the months to come, he will get opportunities to meet the many people who worked tirelessly during this difficult time and recognise the work that they have done.

Thank you”