Hillingdon Mayor visits
The Worshipful the Mayor of Hillingdon Cllr Roy Chamdal for 2021/22 visited the Skills Hub on the 24th January 2022. It was a very auspicious occasion for the Hub and The Mayor was greeted by Deputy Principal Simon Calvert . The Mayor was taken to a meeting with the Principal Paul Chambers and following this, the Mayor then went on to meet a few of our KS3 Humanities students and KS4 Citizenship students.
The class were able to discuss with the Mayor’s apolitical role whereby he represents the borough and all political groups of the Council Assembly.
There were several very good questions put to the Mayor and the student listened attentively to his explanations. One of our students Madison was able to present an issue she had with the new park next to her house, as she said she did not like the changes that had been made. She said the change had led to a lot of noise and mess being made next to her home.
The Mayor was sorry to hear this and asked Madison if she had spoken to her local councillor about this. Madison was not aware that she could do this and asked the Mayor for advice on how could begin to do this. The Mayor explained how she could go about this and inquired about the location, when it was revealed that the Mayor was familiar with the park and the local councillor. He said he thought the park had been improved with amenities for the community however Madison did not agree and gave detailed reasons why. She stated that the area had become a venue for anti-social behaviour directly outside her bedroom window that prevented her from sleeping at night and also resulted in a huge mess being left over her wall. The Mayor was sorry to hear this and was pleased Madison had informed him about the issue and promised her that he would look into it personally and get back to her on the matter.
There was further discussion about the school and the aspirations of the students attending it. The Mayor asked lots of questions about the Hub and its students.
Kirsty was able to tell the Mayor that they were there not because they were naughty but rather because the students had gone through difficult circumstances. She also alluded to some poor choices the Prime Minster had made over certain activities at Downing Street but she felt we should forgive this mistake in light of “his getting the country through the Pandemic”. The Mayor seemed much taken by this comment and took a note of it.
The Mayor took time out before Assembly to play table tennis with Brayton and some other students and he played very well despite the weight and hindrance of his regalia, as you can see from the images opposite. We all felt he really enjoyed himself and certainly our young people enjoyed his visit. He delivered a great Assembly and was able to deal with all sorts of questions, including Rosie’s tricky ones with both humour and honesty which was very much appreciated by all.