Surrey Civic Network
My Chairmanship of Surrey County Council has certainly got off to a flying start and I have had a very busy couple of months since we last met.
Last month I was delighted to host the Surrey Civic Network here at Woodhatch Place, which was attended by Surrey’s Lord-Lieutenant and High Sheriff and the newly elected Mayors & Chairs from our districts, boroughs and towns. It was a very informative and productive meeting, during which the Mayors and Chairs shared their chosen charities and their plans for the forthcoming year. I look forward to supporting them and their quest to improve the lives of Surrey residents.
Armed Forces Week
Last month, ‘Armed Forces Week’ took place and, as Chair of the Surrey Civilian-Military Partnership Board and of Surrey County Council, I hosted our annual ‘Armed Forces Day Flag Raising Ceremony’ on 21 June. It was a privilege to welcome Reservists, Veterans, Ex-Service Personnel, representatives from the Royal British Legion, SSAFA and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, for a flag raising and one minute silence in our Memorial Garden at Woodhatch Place. We remembered those extraordinarily brave men and women who have served and continue to serve to defend and protect our great country.
Windrush Day
22 June saw the 75th anniversary of the arrival of over 1,000 passengers of the Empire Windrush to the UK, who migrated to these shores from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1971 in response to a call for workers to help rebuild Britain after the devastation caused by World War II.
We marked this day to recognise, remember and celebrate the significant contributions and lasting impact these courageous pioneers and their descendants have had on British culture and society.
We had the privilege of hearing from Salem Sabur, a member of the Windrush generation, who shared with us a lived experience perspective and what this means for communities today. It was a fascinating insight and certainly left us with much to think about.
Surrey Events & Activities
There have also been many activities and events taking place in Surrey, which I have had the honour of attending. To name but a few, I attended the opening day of Pirbright Amateur Community Sports Pavilion; Specsavers’ Surrey Youth Games; the Surrey Music Hub Conference; St Mary's Ukrainian Saturday School end of year concert; St Peter’s Hospital Veterans’ Hub for Armed Forces breakfast; Choral Mattins at Guildford Cathedral for the Armed Forces; Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum; Surrey Arts ‘Connect to Culture Festival’; and the Chief Scouts Gold Awards.
Chair’s Theme
I am delighted to announce my theme for the forthcoming year: Empowering Diverse Communities.
We live in a beautiful and richly diverse, varied and multinational county, with residents from a range of backgrounds and cultures, as well as those with diverse abilities and needs.
I want to support these communities and shine a light on the fantastic work that they are doing. I want to hear and learn about the diverse communities in your area; please do contact my office if there are organisations that I could help support.
I also want to celebrate the achievements of individuals within these groups and communities – which is where you come in. My office will shortly send out nomination forms for the Chair’s annual ‘Surrey Volunteers’ Reception’ for you to nominate individuals or organisations within your areas that support and benefit those from diverse communities. Further details will follow in due course.
Minutes:
Richard Tear joined the meeting at 10.04 am.
The Chair:
· Noted that a Surrey Arts 'Singing Picnic' was held last week at Woodhatch Place, it was good to see many local school children participating.
· Noted that his full announcements could be found in the agenda.