Barnsley and Beyond

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She has done an amazing job in keeping the past and those memories alive, to be cherished for future generations. You only have to walk around our community and speak to the people who make it so special to know that holds true. Let me tell you why… there is so much to celebrate about Barnsley – but above all, it is the enduring spirit of our people that sets us apart.

Madam Mayor, you will be an outstanding Mayor for our borough. You are a tremendous councillor and a force of nature! This was a great event and a fantastic opportunity to pay tribute to the incredible resilience of a community. All of those who spoke were brilliant and the variety of people who were at the event from Calendar Girls to the cast of Brassed Off is a testament to Grimethorpe. I hope everyone knows what an enormous privilege it is for me to represent our community, and how seriously I take that responsibility. Since then I have gained further experience along those lines from ‘Educational Priority Areas’ through to the costly Independent/Private Sectors here and abroad. Mel always insisted one of her proudest achievements came at Willowgarth HIgh School when she spearheaded a ‘book-in-a-day’ project, with contributions from miners, families, school children and celebrity supporters.

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To their detriment, successive governments failed to recognise it wasn’t just coal that came out from the collieries, but community too.

She was also an acclaimed author who used her connections across the globe to showcase the great achievements of people who were Barnsley born and bred. Miners, glassworkers, stonemasons, clerics – many of them friends and neighbours. They joined-up together, trained together, fought together and ultimately, many of them died together. She was a brilliant raconteur, she never ran out of stories and I could have listened to her for hours – in fact I sometimes did over lunch or coffee – or wine. She might have loved her hometown but even more than that she adored her family, they were her world and I can’t imagine what they are feeling other than utterly bereft at the loss of such an inspiring matriarch. I started teaching in Barnsley schools in 1969 and left in 1994/95, during which time I had taught every age range from pre-school nursery to A Level – always with extramural involvement. The challenges we face today and those we face tomorrow are daunting but like the challenges of yesterday, they will be overcome.Our community was left devasted by the pandemic, I know everyone here this evening has their own story – me included. Turning to what this evening is all about… Councillor Tattersall – our new Mayor – congratulations! I remember once being in complete awe stood outside our wonderful Town Hall by the newly installed fountains one summer morning – the sun was shining, children were paddling, laughter filled the air. It was a scene of pure joy.