Mayor's Christmas Message 2020
Dec. 19th, 2020 12:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ruthct21This will be shared with people during the Christmas Service at Todmorden Parish Church (St Mary's) and will be posted on the Council website.
2020: a year to remember - or perhaps a year to forget. A year in which millions of people throughout the world found themselves facing the fact that our world is very fragile and that there will be no future for the human race unless we work together to build that future.
This has been a very difficult year for so many people, with the natural disasters such as flooding: the way our normal lives, work, schooling, travel and so on has been turned upside down by the covid pandemic, which has brought death or disablement to many of our fellow citizens: and, of course, coping with the economic dislocation that Brexit is bringing. It is not surprising that people are losing hope for the future.
I was born shortly after the second world war ended. Although, in my earliest years, life was often difficult, there was an underlying sense of hope. The country had survived a terrible past and was building for the future, and people were building it together.
During 2020, I have been very much encouraged by the people and organisations here in Todmorden who have been working hard to make the lives of other people better, to give them advice, support and practical help to get them through their bad experiences and rebuild their lives.
Earlier this week, at the Town Council meeting, I had great pleasure, as Mayor, in giving Citizenship Awards to several people and organisations who have transformed life here in Todmorden. I have also been issuing Certificates of Recognition to those who have gone the extra mile and made a difference to others during the pandemic. If there is anyone, or any organisation, that you would like to nominate, please let me know. It is a way of saying thank you on behalf of the community.
So, to the future: I hope that you all enjoy this season of Christmas and have a chance to speak to those you love even if you cannot meet. I hope that the New Year, 2021, will be a year of recovery, progress and peace on earth.
2020: a year to remember - or perhaps a year to forget. A year in which millions of people throughout the world found themselves facing the fact that our world is very fragile and that there will be no future for the human race unless we work together to build that future.
This has been a very difficult year for so many people, with the natural disasters such as flooding: the way our normal lives, work, schooling, travel and so on has been turned upside down by the covid pandemic, which has brought death or disablement to many of our fellow citizens: and, of course, coping with the economic dislocation that Brexit is bringing. It is not surprising that people are losing hope for the future.
I was born shortly after the second world war ended. Although, in my earliest years, life was often difficult, there was an underlying sense of hope. The country had survived a terrible past and was building for the future, and people were building it together.
During 2020, I have been very much encouraged by the people and organisations here in Todmorden who have been working hard to make the lives of other people better, to give them advice, support and practical help to get them through their bad experiences and rebuild their lives.
Earlier this week, at the Town Council meeting, I had great pleasure, as Mayor, in giving Citizenship Awards to several people and organisations who have transformed life here in Todmorden. I have also been issuing Certificates of Recognition to those who have gone the extra mile and made a difference to others during the pandemic. If there is anyone, or any organisation, that you would like to nominate, please let me know. It is a way of saying thank you on behalf of the community.
So, to the future: I hope that you all enjoy this season of Christmas and have a chance to speak to those you love even if you cannot meet. I hope that the New Year, 2021, will be a year of recovery, progress and peace on earth.
