6 Our City
OCTOBER 2007
Family man Bagh Ali believes there is a natural warmth about the people of Stoke-on-Trent that embraces all cultures – one of many reasons why he has great pride in being the City’s Lord Mayor. Here, Our City talks to Councillor Ali and his daughter Sophia about their role as first citizens...
Orange unpeels a slice of history WITH responsibility for more than 500,000 artefacts going back some 12,000 years, staff at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery are accustomed to being offered unusual objects providing a fascinating insight about all our yesterdays. I’m told of their surprise, however, when the Museum was gifted an orange. Not a fresh one, but a black and shrivelled piece of desiccated fruit purchased 116 years ago on February 13th 1891. It was placed in the lunch box of coal miner Joseph Roberts, of Hanley, before he went down the Racecourse Colliery at Etruria six days later on February 19th. It was to be his last shift. Joseph, aged 37, suffered terrible injuries in an underground explosion and died in the North Staffs Infirmary, leaving his wife Caroline and their six young children. The lunch box was returned to his next of kin and the uneaten orange was kept in a treacle tin by two generations of the family as an heirloom. Now the black orange – pictured above – has been presented to the museum by Joseph’s great granddaughter Pam Bettaney, who lives at Silverdale. Deb Klemperer, the Museum’s Collections Officer (Local History), tells me: “This must be the most unusual item ever gifted to us. The orange tells a very moving story and is a direct link with the Roberts’ family tragedy. This piece of fruit is part of the history of North Staffordshire.” It will soon be on temporary display.
Love problems? See a councillor! THE course of true love never does run smooth, and while council services touch almost every aspect of life in Stoke-on-Trent, I’m told of one instance when even the local authority couldn’t help. The Stoke-on-Trent couple sat nervously at a local advice surgery. “Don’t worry,” said their caring elected member, who told the tale to Placer over a pint, ”how can I help?” “Well,” said the man,”it’s a bit embarrassing. Every time I feel amorous, she doesn’t, and when she’s in a romantic mood, I’m too tired.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” said the couple’s elected representative,” but I don’t see what I can do.” “Well,” said the lady, ” we told our doctor about the problem , and he said we needed to see a counsellor...”
From LA to Burslem SPOTTED on a pub blackboard in the Mother Town promoting a live band gig: “Now appearing in Burslem after a successful tour of LA. (Longton Area)”
S the city’s 79th Lord Mayor, Cllr Bagh Ali is helping to make history. For the other half of his team is his daughter Sophia, who at 21 is the country’s youngest ever Lady Mayoress.
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Her presence at civic engagements causes as much excitement as meeting the Lord Mayor. After just a few months in the job the pair have already established a family “double act” that is successfully promoting the city both within and well beyond its boundaries. Sophia, a care worker who plans to return to education to gain professional qualifications once her 2007/2008 year of office ends, said: “I was happy and honoured to be my father’s Lady Mayoress because the whole family is very proud of him. “In some ways I’ve put my life on hold. I attend engagements with my father almost every day and every evening, so there’s no time to meet up with my friends for a meal, go to the cinema or just chill out listening to music. “However, I’m really enjoying my year of office. It is giving me an opportunity to meet people of all ages, not just those of my own age, and it’s an experience I will never forget.” Cllr Ali came to Stoke-on-Trent from Pakistan as a ten-year-old boy in 1970. His father, a Second World War veteran taken prisoner by the Japanese while fighting in Singapore, was already in the Potteries. After working in the ceramic industry and the Michelin tyre factory, Cllr Ali started his own taxi business in 1981 and has represented Longton South as a city councillor since 1996, with a particular interest in the environment, transport and community safety. The chosen charity for his year of office is the Douglas Macmillan Hospice in Blurton. Cllr Ali has admired the work of staff since visiting a friend with terminal cancer who was cared for at the hospice. All proceeds from the Lord Mayor’s Ball on November 2nd at the King’s Hall, Stoke – the £40-a-head event includes a five course meal, 70’s retro live band and a disco – will go to Douglas Macmillan. As a Muslim, one of the Lord Mayor’s key themes is to encourage all the city’s residents of whatever faith, colour or background to feel equally a part of the community. He plans a get-together of local leaders of all faiths to see how they can best work together to preserve the city’s
There is still a natural ❛❛ warmth about the people of Stoke-on-Trent which embraces all cultures proud tradition of religious and racial tolerance. Cllr Ali said: “My memories of coming to Stoke-on-Trent as a young boy are happy ones. There is still a natural warmth about the people of Stoke-on-Trent which embraces all cultures.” Cllr Ali and his wife of 33 years Farzand Begum have two sons and two daughters (aged from 13 to 29) as well as four grandchildren. The
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Lord Mayor is a Stoke City fan and attends as many home games as business and civic duties permit. Cricket is his other sporting passion and in his playing days he was a good all-rounder with Wedgwood and Normacot cricket clubs. Cllr Ali said: “Driving a taxi is a good way of mixing with the community. Very often I pick up constituents to take them somewhere and they tell
– CLLR BAGH ALI
me about issues that concern them. It’s a bit like market research, and often my taxi doubles up as a councillor’s surgery when I listen to my passengers’ problems and give them advice while I drive them where they want to go!” ● To buy tickets for the Lord Mayor’s Ball contact Denise Powell, the Lord Mayor’s Secretary, on 01782 232625 or email her at denise.powell@stoke.gov.uk