Autumn 2019Highlights of a mayoral year

Councillor Mohammed Zaman completed his year as Mayor of Rochdale in May 2019. Katie Davies spoke to him about his highlights.

Attending as many events as I could, I met various individuals and groups - acknowledging and appreciating all the work they are doing within Rochdale and beyond.

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to witness all the good work throughout the borough and to become friends with those who make a difference and add value to others’ lives.

People ask me what my highlights were as the Mayor of Rochdale, or what special things I did, and when I look back and reflect on the different engagements I attended, the wonderful things I observed and the kind people I met, I think my highlight is that my main focus was achieved. I wanted to bring people together from different areas of our borough, and of different cultural backgrounds and faiths, making sure everyone received the respect they deserve.

I chose six charities to benefit from the Mayor’s Charity Appeal last year:
• Springhill Hospice
• Parkinson’s UK
• Moorend Development Trust
• Petrus
• Rochdale Community Partnership
• British Heart Foundation

I also made donations to smaller groups alongside the main charities I chose, as they are all doing excellent work which, I felt, can go unrecognised.

A total of £70,000 was raised over my year for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal. Thank you to all who donated during my time, it was greatly appreciated.

Here are three of my highlights:

VETERANS BREAKFAST CLUB

Held in the Clock Tower Dining Room at Rochdale Town Hall every Thursday, the Veterans Breakfast Club is attended by
approximately 70 to 90 veterans and serving members of the armed forces. Many of the veterans served in World War Two, others in more recent campaigns such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and the Suez Crisis.

The veterans meet up for comradeship, support and a sense of belonging, or just to chat and catch up with their friends. I always felt welcome and enjoyed speaking to the veterans about their experiences, which they happily shared. It was nice to hear their memories and learn about all the different places they had been in the world.

I admire the veterans in our community and think it’s very important to remember their roles and their service. I presented the club with a £350 donation, certificate of appreciation and engraved plate after my mayoral year was over.

HEYWOOD CHARITIES FETE

Organised by the Heywood Charities Fete Committee, this traditionally takes place annually on the first Sunday in September and is supported by many local voluntary groups, organisations and local businesses, including Heywood Rotary and Heywood Lions Club.

Beginning with a parade through the centre of Heywood, followed by activities and entertainment at Queen’s Park, this event is one of the biggest and the most long-standing in the calendar of Heywood, having taken place since 1933.

It is good to see families and young people enjoying the fete and the committee work hard every year to make the event better than ever.

With thousands attending in 2018, the Charities Fete provides a great opportunity to raise funds that are distributed between a number of charities throughout the upcoming year.

I want to send my thanks to members of the fete committee, Friends of Queen’s Park, the volunteers who help, and Heywood Lions Club for hosting this amazing event each year.

COMMUNITY IFTARS

I attended many Iftar events (when Muslims break their fast) at different mosques and community venues during the holy month of Ramadan this year.

Hundreds of people unite to enjoy Iftars every year. They are held as the end of Ramadan approaches to reflect on patience, worship, selfdiscipline, charity, forgiveness and revival of spiritual wellbeing.

Ramadan is a month for Muslims to reflect on their lives and encourages them to look at those who are less fortunate and extend a helping hand through charity; a lot of people raise funds for charities throughout Ramadan to help others around the globe.