First of all, I would like to begin my first column by saying what an honour it is to represent Rossendale as Mayor for the municipal year 2026 – 27, and to thank my partner, Steve Duxbury, for agreeing to be my consort for the year. I’d also like to thank my fellow councillors for putting their faith in me by electing me to this special role.
I would like to congratulate and thank the outgoing Mayor, councillor Michelle Smith, on a fantastic term as the Mayor of Rossendale. Michelle has served with diligence and good humour, and has been a great ambassador for Rossendale.
My term began with our Annual Meeting/Mayor Making Ceremony in May, which was a very enjoyable occasion and it was lovely to see so many old friends there. Thank you to everyone who attended. During the meeting, I also had the great pleasure of conferring the title of Honorary Alderman on former councillor Granville Morris, in recognition of his years of public service.
Since that evening, Steve and I have been very busy. Our first official engagement was to attend the Mayor of Rochdale’s Civic Sunday, with a service at St Edmund’s Church followed by a visit to the Golden Mosque where we enjoyed some wonderful food. It was our pleasure to congratulate our friends Faisal Rana and Iram Faisal in their new role as Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale.
The following week, we then visited Burnley Town Hall for the Mayor of Burnley’s “At Home” where we met many of the other new Lancashire Mayors for the first time. I look forward to seeing a lot of them again over the coming year.
I also called in to visit one of the charities I have chosen to support during my Mayoral Year; the M3 Project, who provide help and support to homeless young people. It was my pleasure to meet the staff at M3 and to hear about the important work they do. I look forward to fundraising for them over the next 12 months.
On Sunday, May 31 I had a longstanding commitment, the Manchester 10K, which I ran to raise funds for another of my chosen charities, Rossendale Hospice. I was delighted to bump into the Mayor of Hyndburn, councillor Noordad Aziz, who was also running the 10K in aid of the NSPCC. Thanks to the generosity of my sponsors; I raised more than £1,000 for the hospice so thank you so much to everyone who donated.
Last week I attended the Bacup Family Centre for their Annual General Meeting. It was enlightening to hear about all the work that they do, providing support to families in need and also running a very successful Youth Hub. Well done to all the staff and volunteers for their invaluable work in our community. I was delighted to be accompanied on this visit by former Mayoress and Honorary Alderman Jackie Oakes and we were both made very welcome.
On June 10, Steve and I attended the Rossendale Means Business Expo at The Ashcroft, Whitworth, where we had a whirlwind tour of all the stalls and exhibitors. I think we hopefully managed to speak to everyone and it was amazing to see the variety and scale of businesses here in Rossendale. For a small borough we are definitely punching above our weight. Thanks to Jane Pallister for organising and for being such a great guide on the day.
That evening, we also spent a hilarious evening at the New Millenium Theatre in the company of Rossendale Players performing “Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime”. The cast were all excellent as they romped through this comedy whodunnit. We are very lucky to have live theatre right on our doorstep here in Rossendale.
The following day. Steve and I were honoured to be invited to Queen St Mill Textile Museum in Burnley, by the High Sheriff of Lancashire, David Collinge. It was our pleasure to meet all the other Lancashire Mayors once again, and to be given an excellent guided tour of the former cotton mill. The High Sheriff told us of his plans for the year -like us, he only serves for one year. His aim is to support and encourage volunteer and community groups and I will certainly be inviting him to Rossendale to see some of the great work we do here.
June 15 marks the beginning of Refugee Week and it was our pleasure to attend the launch event held at the Horse & Bamboo, Waterfoot, and to see the huge contribution made to our community by refugees who have made Rossendale their home. The theme of Refugee Week is 'Courage' and I pay tribute to the courage of those who are forced to flee and start a new life in a different country, away from everything they once knew. I also thank the Rossendale Refugee Support Group for the amazing work that they do. Courage belongs to all of us.
I have some very exciting events already booked in the diary for the coming months, which I am very much looking forward to. If you would also like to book the Mayor to attend any of your events please do get in touch with the Mayor’s Office stephaniecarroll@rossendalebc.gov.uk or you can find further information online at https://www.rossendale.gov.uk/councillors-1/mayor-rossendale
