The Jubilee weekend was a celebration of Her Majesty’s remarkable achievement of 70 years on the throne, but also a time give thanks for a life dedicated to public service. The Queen is second to none as an example of service and duty for the benefit of others; as a nation we have been so fortunate to have her as our Queen.
Across our community, however, there are many people who serve others and who rarely receive the recognition they deserve. We do not always understand the sacrifices they make or what is involved in their work. We saw many such people in action this Jubilee weekend and as we come to the end of Volunteers’ Week, I want to pay tribute to all those people who serve their communities.
This Jubilee, we saw Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, attending event after event, bringing communities together, raising the profiles of charities, and recognising the achievements of individuals in the community. The Lord Lieutenant is the Queen’s representative in Shropshire. I had the honour of joining her at a Platinum Jubilee Thanksgiving Service in Telford Town Park organised by Hollinswood and Randlay Parish Council. Also in attendance was the exceptionally hardworking Mayor of Telford & Wrekin Council, Cllr Raj Meta, who like the Lord Lieutenant is committed to recognising and encouraging our local charities, organisations and individuals across the borough. Cllr Meta has had the busiest of schedules this Jubilee weekend and I commend him for his dedication to our community. Others, such as our Parish Councillors arranged spectacular events and services with many giving up their time, day after day for many months to make all the arrangements to enable people to come together, to celebrate and enjoy the events. How amazing that one Parish council even secured its own flyover for its Jubilee party.
I also want to congratulate Telford residents who received Jubilee Birthday Honours from the Queen, particularly Kate Philips Founder of Christmas Smile and Elizabeth Wilkinson Founder The Dyslexic Dyslexia Consultant.
All these people make strong communities, lead by example and I thank them.
