Page 20 - Real Rochdale Issue 10 Summer 2021

FRIENDS OF BIELEFELD
HIGHLIGHTS OF A MAYORAL YEAR
Councillor Billy Sheerin
was sworn in as the
Mayor of Rochdale in
May 2019 and ended
up serving as mayor for
two years due to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Here, he reflects on
some of his highlights.
Mayor Billy Sheerin holding the skull of Dippy
The mayoral role is a very important part
of the council; it’s a position of authority,
but also a position of privilege and honour,
which must be handled carefully with
humility and understanding.
I’ve had 10 months as a mayor and 14
months as a symbolic mayor, during which
time I chaired various virtual meetings,
and there were very few civic events I
could physically attend, all due to the
pandemic. However, what I shall not suffer
from is standing down as, sadly, it feels as
though I stood down those 14 months ago.
I have enjoyed the privilege of being ‘Mr
Mayor’ – it allowed me to meet many
amazing people who do so much good
work for the benefit of the people of the
borough.
I sincerely thank all of you that contribute
to make our town a better place to live.
REAL ROCHDALE - SUMMER 2021
The most enjoyable part of being the mayor was
meeting up with the other nine mayors of
Greater Manchester and meeting Mark
Adlestone, Greater Manchester’s High Sheriff
for 2019/2020, who joined us on most of our
events. We built a sort of comradery amongst
ourselves, which I will always cherish.
I had the pleasure of inviting my fellow mayors
to visit Dippy at Number One Riverside when he
arrived. They were all amazed at the sight of a
dinosaur in an ultra-modern building.
I remember clearly when Dippy arrived in
Rochdale; it was a great day which filled the
town with excitement as everyone wished the
dinosaur a warm welcome to the borough and
offered the hope of tons of visitors to our town.
The initial impact of Dippy was terrific for not
only Rochdale, but the whole North West.
I was very sad to see him dismantled and sent
back to London.
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Mayor Billy Sheerin and Mayoress Lynn Sheerin wife, Mechthild, and I was looked after very well.
MAYOR’S CAROL SERVICE
Another big event which gave me a great deal of
satisfaction was the annual Mayor’s Civic Carol
Service in December 2019, which I chose to hold
at St John the Baptist RC Church.
In the presence of the Bishop of Salford John
Arnold, the multi-faith service included a
selection of popular carols. Guest readers also
spoke about what Christmas means to their
different faiths, including Mirazam Neeli (Imam
of Masjid Mosque) on Islam and Mark Adlestone
(High Sheriff of Greater Manchester) on
Judaism.
It was a very special event for me, learning all the
different outlooks.
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One of my very first events as mayor was joining
the Friends of Tourcoing on their biannual trip to
France. This was followed by a trip to Bielefeld,
Germany with the Friends of Bielefeld group.
Both Tourcoing and Bielefeld are twin towns of
Rochdale and have been linked for many years,
I believe to establish healing and bonding after
the wars. The friends’ groups do a sterling job in
keeping the twinning momentum going.
In France, I met with Jean Marie Vuylsteker, the
Maire de Tourcoing, and observed the voting in
the European Parliament election, the count, and
the way the French conduct elections.
In Bielefeld, I stayed with two wonderful hosts,
retired lecturer, Dr Manfred Froehich and his
I had a tour of the city and learnt the history of
Bielefeld. We also visited the city of Soest and
Möhnesee, a famous reservoir and dam in North
Germany, for a cruise.
I made a civic visit to the bürgermeister (mayor)
at Belefield Rathaus (town hall) and met Fräulein
Karin Shrader – the first Mayor of Bielefield –
before finishing on a relaxing note in the spa
town of Bad Salzuflen.
It is so important to keep Rochdale’s twin links
with our European neighbours. I encourage the
young people of Rochdale to get involved to
allow the link to carry on for many years to come.
There are great opportunities to experience
these places through the eyes of the locals.
The funds raised by the Mayors Charity
Appeal for 2019 - 2020 were split between
Springhill Hospice, Rochdale Connections
Trust, Rochdale Shopmobility, Parkinson’s,
Leukaemia UK, Hydro Pool, M6 Theatre, and
Rochdale MS Society, with each receiving an
amount between £1,500 and £2,500.
This is only possible thanks to the dedication
and hard work of the members of the
Mayor’s charity committee.
REAL ROCHDALE - SUMMER 2021