My Year as Student Consort of the Lord Mayor

A year ago former councilor Al Garthwaite was elected Lord Mayor of Leeds alongside her long-time friend the Lady Primass, the Hon Alderwoman Angela Gabriel. By the end of October, students at Leeds Beckett University were emailed about future careers and volunteering services. In the email was a small ad promoting the Mayor and asking anyone interested to join him as a Student Consort. Around twelve candidates were asked to attend an assessment day where we were put on the spot to present ourselves to the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, eight of whom were successful.

I was always fascinated by the roles of such dignitaries as they pretended to be an elusive figure, especially coming from the small town of Tunbridge Wells in a big cosmopolitan city, such people were hard to come by. To have an opportunity to have an insider’s perspective and understand what a mayor is and what they do has expanded my understanding of this important role. Having the opportunity to accompany a mayor and experience the celebrated diversity of this amazing city was an absolute pleasure.

It is often thought that students are always seen as living in their own bubble, never thinking about what lies beyond the view of our university and the local pub. To be able to relate to the mayor, one can understand that being a Lord Mayor is not just about cutting ribbons and being apolitical. A Lord Mayor is the cultural thread that binds the city together, creating a tapestry of cultural unity. I believe Al has done this with great integrity and dedication, from personal experience I can see his enthusiasm and dedication as he attends every engagement with a passionate aura that would often light up a room.

Unlike most jobs, a city hall’s working hours are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most of the time, many engagements are consecutive and some can last more than 4 hours. Her sheer willingness to put her duties before her own needs is admirable, of course none of it would have been done without the amazing team that is always standing by to help her fulfill her duties.

Looking back on my time with the Lord Mayor, I am reminded of the amazing people, events and charities I met along the way. I didn’t know Leeds was full of such incredible people who set up organizations to help and engage with the large diaspora of citizens and local communities alike. However, it was in the quiet moments with the Lord Mayor that stayed with me the most.

The Civic Hall office, once a daunting prospect, had become a familiar environment where I could spend time with Al and Angela and get to know them better. Their achievements alone, from starting the Reclaim the Night marches to managing Beeston in Bloom are commendable. It is obvious that both Al and Angela are incredibly devoted to Leeds and have given so much to the city. It goes without saying that none of this would be possible without the help of secretaries and drivers Mark and Stephen who were so wonderful in passing on their local knowledge of Leeds and made me laugh.

I would like to thank Al, Angela and everyone who made this experience possible, it was a privilege to serve them and the people of Leeds.

This post was written by Yuvraj Parmar

Photo: Yuvaraj Parmar (right) with Lord Mayor Cllr Al Garthwaite (centre) and Lady Primaress Hon Alderwoman Angela Gabriel (left) at Leeds Civic Hall

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