Norman Walsh - 2002 - 2003

It has been an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to represent Thorne and Moorends as Town Mayor. Like all enjoyable experiences of course, the year seems to have flown by. I have had the total support of my wife Dilys who has been by my side throughout the year and it is hard to say which of us has been the proudest.

One thing I have learned during my term of office, is that Thorne & Moorends has more than its share of individuals & groups that devote their time and effort in their quest to help others.

• We have a group that work with the mentally handicapped. Dilys & I have been privileged to be in the company of this dedicated group on several occasions and have seen the amount of work that they put in to improve the quality of life of people less fortunate than themselves. This also applies to the Volunteers of the Bungalow project in Moorends.
  
  
• We have Groups that work with children and develop their Football skills. One Group that springs to mind is The Hornets but there are lots of other organisations that give of their time to help our young people achieve an aim and interest in life, such as the Carefree Jazz Band who spend hours just teaching the Youngsters Precision Marching. Discipline indeed.
  
  
• We have Army, Navy & Air Cadets. All these young people are to be admired, but they would not exist without the support of the dedicated adults who find the time to volunteer their help and expertise. This also applies of course to The Scout & Guide Movements.
  
  
• We have a great compliment of charitable Organisations such as Thorne Rotary, Thorne & District Lions, The newly formed and already very successful Thorne Branch of the Royal British Legion, The Churches & Methodist Chapel. The many organisations who give their time to help our Senior Citizens at the Old Peoples Welfare Centres & we must not forget the volunteers who run The Miniature Railway in Thorne Park and provide Hours of fun for the children of our Community.
  
  
• Last but not least I must mention The Schools. Thorne & Moorends have six excellent Schools and during the last year Dilys & I have visited all of them. During my Term of Office I created a Mayors Achievement Award that I presented to a pupil at each school who was considered by The Head & Staff to have improved the most in my Mayoral Year. A very difficult task, as so many children were deserving and qualified to win, which speaks volumes about the children in our schools. On speaking with The Head Teachers and staff of all the schools I can assure the Parents Of Thorne and Moorends that their children are in very capable hands.

Norman Walsh.