Lord Mayor of Leeds visits Wetherby

Wetherby was pleased to welcome the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Bob Gettings MBE JP and the Lady Mayoress Councillor Lesley Gettings for a civic visit on Thursday 30 March 2023.

The visit took place at the request of the Lord Mayor, who is keen to ensure that he goes to each of the outlying towns in the wider Leeds City area prior to the end of his mayoral term in May. Although only wanting a ‘walkabout’ the visit gave an opportunity for the Lord Mayor to be introduced to a cross-section of the groups and individuals who help to make Wetherby such a fantastic community.

The visit began with a trip to the Tempo FM radio studios where the Lord Mayor took part in an extended breakfast show answering questions about his background and role, closely followed by a drop in to the Wetherby in Support of the Elderly offices. This gave an opportunity for him to learn about the excellent activities and outreach work undertaken by the charity.

A walk to the centre of the town was timed so that the Lord Mayor could take part in the ‘Old Men’s Parliament’ regular Thursday session, where the Lady Mayoress could be heard commenting on how well he fitted in! It also allowed the stunning formal Garden of Rest flowerbeds to be admired.

From there the Lord Mayor was able to visit the bustling Thursday market, stopping at regular intervals to talk to traders and members of the public alike. This gave an opportunity to meet the workers from social enterprise, Jennyruth Workshops, who had brought their wares to sell on the charity stall.

Various items were purchased as the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress made their way around the Market Place, including steak pies for their tea from Appleton ’s Butchers. The Lady Mayoress was also able to visit Reading Roots bookshop where she took part in an impromptu discussion about the merits of different authors.

Wetherby Town Hall provided the location for refreshments at the Martin House Children ’s Hospice coffee morning. Martin House is one of the Lord Mayor ’s chosen charities during his term of office. Throughout the year, the Lord Mayor focuses on the work of their chosen charity, with the aim of raising awareness and funds through hosting a range of events and activities. The Lord Mayor was able to assist with the drawing of the raffle and thanking the volunteers who’d turned out to run the event.

Kazia Knight, Wetherby’s Host for Leeds 2023, was able to join the Lord Mayor for a cup of coffee so that she could inform him about the plans for the Drover’s Day on 1 of July. Coming from Morley, a town with a strong history of marching band competitions, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were really impressed with the plans being made and to see how our town has grabbed the opportunity offered by the Leeds 2023 year of culture.