Mayor: The Bells Ring Out!

So - as from 21st May, I am now Mayor of Morpeth. I'm supposed to be getting a "Mayor's Blog" on the Town Council website and I've started writing some pieces for it, but it hasn't materialised yet - so I'll post them here and get them on the "Mayor's Blog" later...

And I'll try to backdate the postings so they come out in the right timescale

The Bells Ring Out!

Morpeth Bellringers rang out the Mayor’s Peal on 31^st May – seven ringers completed the “London Surprise Major” with 5024 changes in 2hr 40min. Fortunately I had two professional mathematicians – Roger Dye and Lucy Manning – to explain how the peal worked through all the permutations of seven bells. I hadn’t realised that bellringing was such a curious mix of maths, music, recordkeeping, concentration and hard physical exercise – the bellringers were both jubilant and totally exhausted when they successfully finished the peal!

The fact that it was all to honour the new mayor really brought home to me the significance of the office. As a councillor, I’ve become used to people complaining about actual and perceived failings of the council and having to try to explain the reasons behind council decisions, But as mayor – and admittedly I’m only a couple of weeks in office – people are treating me with a level of respect and warmth which I can only explain by realising that the mayoralty is an embodiment of the town. People love and are loyal to Morpeth and their respect for the mayor is a reflection of that.

The bellringers are keen to recruit new members – both youngsters and older people – and from the interest showed on Fair Day when the Clock Tower was open to the public should mean they’ll soon be getting some.