Sadly, my time as Mayor has now come to an end. The chain of office has been handed over, a thank you and goodbye speech made at the Guildhall and the safe for the very valuable chain that has been a bit of an eye sore in the hallway for the last year has been removed. As they say, all good things come to an end. Katey and I have enjoyed the experience. It’s been a real honour and a privilege, something that I’ll treasure forever. Thank you.

Last year I attended hundreds of events and helped to raise over £7,000 for Age UK. Last May I supported Worcester Community Trust to put on a Christmas meal at the Guild Hall.

I’ve conducted scores of Mayor’s tours of the Guildhall to all manner of charities, schools and foreign visitors – sometimes several in one week. Each tour being perfected and honed, hopefully getting a little better as I gained experience.

At the beginning of the year, I made a pledge to attend every Mayoral event on my bike. I’ve always believed that leaders should lead. Unfortunately, perhaps I should have consulted Katey before making that pledge. There were a few ‘words said’ when on more than one occasion I insisted on us arriving at a posh charity event in evening dress and dinner jacket.

One of the things that I’m most proud of was the Mayor’s charity fashion show. When I say proud it’s actually more accurate to say proud of the team that made it happen and by that, I mean key Guildhall staff like Gill Preece but also Karel Bretveld from Age UK. The team raised thousands of pounds and gave dozens of Worcester’s young people an amazing opportunity to show off their creative skills. And it was also a lot of fun.

Finally, I wish Mel Allcott all the best for her time as the city’s new Mayor. I hope she enjoys the experience as much as I did.