St Neots mayor talks about his six months in the post

After a summer break in council meetings and civic events, September has been a bit of a shock to the system and in the last three weeks I’ve attended 35 different events.

I was delighted to be invited by the chair of the county council to the British citizenship ceremony at the offices in Alconbury Weald.

The ceremony is the last stage for foreign nationals in the British citizenship process and is a very formal event where delegates swear an oath.

Citizens from across the world attend and for this one, we had more than 30 people from 15 different countries. It was a joy to socialise afterwards in the café and hear their stories.

I joined St Neots Mancave who had a busy afternoon where ‘cavers’ celebrated their second anniversary alongside receiving a much-needed donation from the contactor for the Market Square. Staff from Taylor Woodrow presented the team with a cheque for £2,500 to help them continue to run their excellent service.

The mayoress and I were invited to attend the Little Gransden Air Show. We were first-timers to the show and had a wonderful afternoon watching the brave pilots battle 40mph wind speeds with their aerial acrobatics. The single-engine biplanes struggled but it meant you could get a good look as they flew past.

The mayor and mayoress with Pip Shoobert at the Great Gransden Air and Car Show. (Image: Richard Slade)

Earlier in the year ex-mayor Rob Simonis had planned to hold a Mayor’s Teddy Bear Picnic in Riverside Park but sadly it was cancelled due to bad weather.

We rescheduled for August and this time we had glorious sunshine. The miniature railway hosted us and donated half their takings to my charities. Many families came along to enjoy a picnic, ride the train and get their faces painted.

I’m a big fan of cutting ribbons so I was delighted to open three separate sites — the inclusive play at equipment at Brickhills, Moore’s Walk Garden on the High Street and the refurbished games room at the Chaii Hub.

The mayor with St Neots Town Council youth officer Hannah Bell at the Chaii Hub Games Room. (Image: Richard Slade)

Cllr Slade cut the ribbon at Moores Walk in the High Street. (Image: Richard Slade)

We have many more openings coming so I’d be keen to hear if residents would like to know about these in advance so they can attend.

Last weekend, I attended the annual Living History Festival organised by the St Neots Museum. On a smaller footprint at the Market Square than previous years I was pleased to see so many reenactors and stalls squeezed in.

I was fascinated by the in-depth knowledge of each character from their chosen period. My highlight was a conversation with 'Charles II' and 'Catherine of Braganza', and they never once slipped out of character.

The mayor and a 'suffragette' at the town's Living History Festival. (Image: Richard Slade) The mayor and the team at St Neots Museum team at the Living History Festival. (Image: TrayBakersStudio)

I was secretly invited to the medieval palace of Buckden Towers where the former Shakespeare at the George team revealed it as their new venue, and what will be an amazing backdrop to their first performance next summer. My advice, get your tickets early for Twelfth Night once they go live.

Cllr Martin Hassall, Natalie Leigh-Brown, Urban & Civic; Reuben Milne, chair of Shakespeare at the Towers Trust; Dame Norma Major, Shakespeare at the Towers Patron; Cllr Sebastian Kindersley, chair Cambridgeshire County Council and Richard Slade. (Image: Richard Slade)

The Mayor’s Charity Golf Day was a huge success. We had a bit of thunder and one heavy shower but this didn’t dampen the spirits or the skill of the 84 golfers from 21 teams who competed for first place.

More than £100,000 has been raised for local charities since we started this event in the 1990s and we are delighted to be supported by St Mary's Rotary Club for this annual event.

This weekend was super busy and the mayoress and I attended a lovely musical theatre event in Loves’ Farm hosted by Backstage Cabaret, a private view at the museum of work by local illustrator Stacie Swift and judged fancy dress at the Scarecrow Festival in Great Paxton.

Alongside this, and in my district councillor role, I was asked to be a judge at the Little Paxton Flower Show.

I’m already nearly six months into my role as mayor and I can honestly say I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I get to meet so many lovely residents, businesses and visitors and the support I get from my fellow councillors and of course, the mayoress is very humbling."