Deputy Mayor of Wandsworth
I became Deputy Mayor on 22nd May with Ruth and Alex being agreed as my consorts.
Here we are with Rev. Dr Daniel Eshun who we all know who is now the Mayor’s Chaplain and Councillor Simon Hogg Leader of Wandsworth Labour Group.
The Mayor’s charities include our local Putney and Roehampton Boxing Club who do great work with local young people. We are also working towards reducing knife crime and hope to join up with other organisations that have already started. Some things we have discovered so far are that:
- Knives are no longer just associated with gangs, youth carry them out of fear.
- Tougher sentences are no deterrent against this fear.
- Watch ‘On a Knife Edge’ YouTube.
- Need to use dialogue to combat crime and build social capital.
- Needed to visually be seen talking and working with the Police to help break down “the wall of silence”. Good slogan “See it, Hear it, Report it”.
- Any force against knife crime needs to be grassroots up where communities talk together and work together to combat this evil. Throwing money at it will not solve the issue!
There are usually around 5 invitations a week for the Deputy to attend. Each time differs, some require me to speak others I get escorted around to meet people. Examples are:
| Summer Fair at Floreat School where I was able to introduce their local Councillor Graeme Henderson to the parents. | Battersea Methodist Church’s drama on the dangers of children being forced to deliver drugs. | Balham Mosque Al Risalah Trust Schools family fun day with Alex my consort. |
| A perk being the tennis – here with Cllr Peter Carpenter whose wife was in the Royal Box with the Mayor. |
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I cannot show the children’s faces but being at the Roehampton Church School fair was also very popular with the children as they asked about my chains. Instead here is a picture of their art which happens once a year and looks glorious in our Holy Trinity. |
Lovely to read about your duties, perks and work in Wandsworth especially with young people. Congratulations on your appointment as Deputy Mayor. Jim would be so proud of you. We remember you often in our prayers. We’ll add your new responsibilities to our list.
Blessings
Keith & Chris
i have just read about your appointment as Deputy Mayor on 22nd May, my family and myself were not regular attendants at Holy Trinity but we would always attend special events such as midnight Christmas service which Jim made special for us, we enjoyed his down to earth sermons often relating to Roehampton and the people living in the area, that is how we got to know Jim also living in the area I would see him around. We miss his presence in Roehampton and appreciated how much he done for our community he was a part of the local community and people felt that he cared, we will be attending the Christmas service this year and will certainly miss Jim taking the service.
You are continuing the good work and I agree Jim would be very proud of you as we all are.
Thales Ansah
i have just read about your appointment as Deputy Mayor on 22nd May, my family and myself were not regular attendants at Holy Trinity but we would always attend special events such as midnight Christmas service which Jim made special for us, we enjoyed his down to earth sermons often relating to Roehampton and the people living in the area, that is how we got to know Jim also living in the area I would see him around. We miss his presence in Roehampton and appreciated how much he done for our community he was a part of the local community and people felt that he cared, we will be attending the Christmas service this year and will certainly miss Jim taking the service.
You are continuing the good work and I agree Jim would be very proud of you as we all are.
Thales Ansah
Wow thank you for your blogs. Ruth, Al and I are getting together regularly and it is great that we can all still afford to live in London so we are close to each other. We are doing a pottery class together where we are learning to throw using the wheel – many mad moments as well as being covered in clay. For future reference don’t wear black when using a pottery wheel! We remember our time @holytrinityroe with great affection as it has been a very important time of our life. Ruth and Al grew up with Holy Trinity and Sunday School with Pam, Anne and Jean well done guys you did a great job and I am sure you and the church planted a seed which will grow. We miss Jim and often talk about him and our memories. Our latest was trying to picture him behind a pottery wheel!
Thank you all with much love from us to you xxx