Barnsley and Beyond

Product Information

Our town centre has undergone remarkable transformation in recent times – praise rightly goes to the Leader of our Council, Sir Steve Houghton and his team for the incredible progress we have seen. This was a great event and a fantastic opportunity to pay tribute to the incredible resilience of a community. All of those who spoke were brilliant and the variety of people who were at the event from Calendar Girls to the cast of Brassed Off is a testament to Grimethorpe.

Madam Mayor, you will be an outstanding Mayor for our borough. You are a tremendous councillor and a force of nature! Let me tell you why… there is so much to celebrate about Barnsley – but above all, it is the enduring spirit of our people that sets us apart.The challenges we face today and those we face tomorrow are daunting but like the challenges of yesterday, they will be overcome.

Link Tutor visits to students in placement schools of every kind across the old West Riding further broadened my awareness of the pitfalls that schools have in common, and particular areas of strength in some. That suffering will live long in the memory but so too should the resolve of those who pulled us through – our NHS Let me be candid, many people were surprised at my decision to stand down, but I said from the beginning that being a Mayor and an MP wasn’t a long-term arrangement.

She was world class at networking, but not for herself, she delighted in setting up channels of communication between people that she knew would be mutually beneficial to them. She would do anything for the arts and got rightly angry when there were cuts to any of the services and she battled for change. She was passionate about the benefits of teaching the arts in schools and was especially a cheerleader for the arts in Barnsley because she loved the town, loved to show the rest of the planet what we had to offer here. And she loved to watch young people of the town blossom and grow and become successful because of where they came from – not in spite of coming from here. She was rightly so very proud of the Barnsley Youth Choir, she couldn’t have shouted more loudly about it. You only have to walk around our community and speak to the people who make it so special to know that holds true. Mel always insisted one of her proudest achievements came at Willowgarth HIgh School when she spearheaded a ‘book-in-a-day’ project, with contributions from miners, families, school children and celebrity supporters. And Hey! – who do so much for our children and young people suffering with their mental health by providing the care they need when they need it most.