Horwich Advertiser Issue 636

Page 4 June 2026 AD SALES 01204 478812 THE MAYOR’S DIARY Kevin McKeon, the new mayor of Horwich, shares his first few weeks in the role of first citizen 10 11 Monday Tuesday The Mayor’s Diary I HAD the honour of being inaugurated on Thursday May 7. I am most grateful to my fellow councillors for the faith they have entrusted in me to fulfil the role of first citizen. I am also very pleased that Irene, my wife, has agreed to be my mayoress. At the ceremony in the Public Hall, I was able to pay tribute to some of the many mayors I have known. My memory goes back to past mayors like Stanley Daw- son and Betty McCracken and to more recent holders of the office like Bob and Barbara Ronson, Joyce Kellett and my ward colleague, Richard Silvester. I was particularly proud to mention my father-in-law, Albert Swindells who was mayor in 1986/87. All who have gone before me have served the Horwich community faithfully and with integrity. I intend to do the same. The process of confirming my Mayoralty continues at 2.30pm on Sunday June 14 when the annual Civic Service will be held at Holy Trinity. All are welcome. A COMMUNITY UNITED IN JOY It has been a busy four weeks with some incredible high- lights, probably the most note- worthy being the celebration in Victoria Square for the and congratulated them on behalf of the whole commu- nity. We had a lovely time at their home sharing memories of family life and past times in Horwich. John and Barbara received a card from her late Majesty for their Diamond wedding anniversary and now have a card from King Charles. I’m sure their next card will be for their Platinum anniversary. We have all seen the Repair Café on TV. Perhaps not many are aware that there are about 20 Repair Cafes around Greater Manchester, one of which is here in Horwich. The café meets every month on the third Saturday after- noon at the Brazley Centre. The volunteers will attempt to mend and fix anything from a bike, a food mixer or an old Teddy. The skills on display are awesome. I had visited the café as a very satisfied customer twice but I made an official visit to acknowledge its fourth birthday. Donna Karen and Ann Lee made Irene and I most welcome. We were able to chat with customers and vol- unteers. The Repair Café is based on very sound princi- ples of recycling and reusing. It provides a very valuable service to the community. As mayor I will often rub shoulders with other Mayors in the area especially the may- ors of Blackrod, Westhoughton and Bolton. One of our earliest appoint- ments was our attendance at the installation of the newly elected mayor of Bolton, Cllr Muhammad Iqbal. It was a very enjoyable occasion at which Cllr Iqbal made an impactful speech during which he spoke forcefully about the welcoming and diverse nature of Bolton which welcomed him as a 12-year-old from the Indian sub- continent. The annual Charter Din- ner of the Rotary Club was also memorable. Rotarians share values of generosity and service and contribute significantly to the Horwich community, charities, volun- tary groups and individuals. The Beer Festival and Christmas Sleigh are their best-known fundraisers but there are many others. Hor- wich is very fortunate to have such a public-spirited group in its midst. wonderful performance of the Wanderers at Wembley. For the first time since 2019 Wanderers are back in the Championship and on Mon- day evening fans were ecstatic with joy. Irene and I represented Horwich at the official Town Hall reception and went out onto the steps with the players to greet the huge crowd. I’ve never seen Victoria Square so packed. The cheers and chants were deafening. It was a scene I’ll never forget. We live in difficult and sometimes divisive times; the celebration of the Wanderers success was a heartening occasion of a whole commu- nity united. Another highlight of a very different kind took place when Irene and I had the pleasure of visiting John and Brenda Green, who were celebrating their 65th wedding anniver- sary (Sapphire) – quite an achievement! We presented John and Barbara with a card and gift