Former Mayor of Warrington Geoff Settle travelled to Oldham recently to learn more about how the town achieved and sustain their Pledge to Peace activities.
Geoff, who started a campaign for Warrington to Pledge to Peace during his Mayoral year, said, “I was met Peter Outram (secretary Oldham Pledge to Peace) and Maria who is the chair and founder of Peace Talks Oldham (PTO) in bright sunshine. They kindly bought me lunch and then showed me around the Town starting at the Peace Garden.
“It looked splendid with its arched entrance. On the garden wall was a metal plaque with the word peace cut out in several languages spoken in Oldham. Opposite the archway was a Peace Pole and to its right a cherry blossom tree planted when a Japanese delegation visited the Town.
“A short walk away was a wonderful tribute garden with a lovely engraved stone in memory of the Diana Princess of Wales. It was a Dedication by the People of Oldham for the work she did in raising awareness of the issues associated with landmines and the work of the HALO Trust 22 years ago.”
Geoff remembers visiting the Town as a Young Enterprise volunteer six years after the 2001 riots and saw the plaque as a symbol of the togetherness of the community. The High School he taught at was managed by his manager’s husband who was the headteacher. The pupils had been caught up in the troubles of the time but help from organisations like the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation who have reached out to place like Oldham, Bradford and more recently Manchester have proved invaluable.
Peter said, “The Pledge to Peace process is all inclusive and on-going. We aim to renew our Pledge to Peace annually by delivering a calendar of events and milestones both within the Town and beyond.”
“Maria said I have been to the Warrington Peace Centre several times since meeting Geoff during his Mayoral year. Most recently I have attended an event entitled ‘Using Dialogue to Combat Crime and Build Social Capital’ It was an inspiring day meeting old friends and new. It’s not easy working to achieve peace but that won’t stop me.”
The former Mayor highlighted the work that Peter and Maria do to keep the pledge alive by promoting talks, lectures, visits, plays like the War School Screening (15th May) and an array of regular events which underpin and support Oldham’s Pledge to Peace.
He has created a Facebook Page 3 years ago as Mayor called Warrington Pledge to Peace to capture and promote events and raise awareness of what is taking place in Warrington. During his term as mayor he attended the Warrington MELA a celebration of cultural diversity, the Diwali, the traditional Hindu festival of lights, and remembers well staging an exhibition of photographs at the Peace Centre of the work he did back in 2005 with DR Kumarswarmy, as part of Warrington’s drive to deliver 2,000 bags of clothes, toys and medication to the Tsunami stricken Sri Lankan shores.
Peter and Maria said, “Warrington is like a stick of Rock with Pledge to Peace written through it, it must only be a question of time before that Pledge is acknowledged.”
Following his visit to Oldham, Geoff attended (as Chair of the Warrington Visually Impaired People (WVIP) the opening of Eye Fund’s https://www.eyefund.info/about/ Fifth Fractured Art Exhibition at Birkenhead Park Community Centre in memory of Simon Shelly.
Simon was devasted to discover that his only eye (he lost the other in a play accident at the age of eight) had developed the deliberating disease retinal cone dystrophy and his eyesight was becoming fractured and unstable. As a graphic designer this was heart wrenching news that he never recovered from. He received a great deal of help and support from his cousin Sir Paul McCartney who funded treatment for him at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital with no joy. Depression from which he never recovered from set in for Simon when he realised that nothing could be done.
Geoff said “I thanked Eye Fund for their hard work and generosity to all visually impaired people and groups that they had helped. I told everyone present that Eye Fund had agreed to fund the training of a counsellor for our WVIP manager, Gail and the time and effort that they were devoting to our wonderful sensory garden at the Fairfield & Howley Community Centre.
“I finished by telling the invited audience that Peter Outram had suggested that the garden would an ideal place to plant the first Peace Pole in Warrington as yet another marker of Warrington’s Pledge to Peace.”
Simon’s family, who live in Grappenhall, their grandson, (Jacob who was master of ceremonies) and Mike agreed that it was a great idea that they would love to support it. It is also hoped that arrangements can be made to bring the wonderful 5th Fractured Exhibition Vision to Warrington. He has tentatively asked Picturesq if they can find a slot later in their busy year schedule to find a slot.
Simon Shelly’s Exhibition Work
