Mayor - general information
Mayor of Rochdale - Councillor Robin Parker
Born
in 1944, Robin was brought up in West London. He moved to the
Borough in 1974, which means he has lived here for most of his
life.
He joined the Labour Party in 1975 and was elected as a
Councillor for the then Central and Falinge ward in 1987. In 1995,
after ‘eight years hard Labour’ (as inscribed on his presentation
tankard!) he made a personal decision to step down to make way for
an Asian candidate. In 1996 he was re-elected as Councillor for
Middleton West and represented that ward for a further eight years,
making strong ties within the Langley community. After two years
absence, in 2006 he was re-elected for West Middleton.
In 2002 he attended Mayor Councillor Lil Murphy’s Civic Service
at All Saints and Martyrs Church, Langley, and has been a regular
ever since, becoming a Confirmed and active member of the Church of
England. The church community was a great support to him throughout
a personal tragedy and it was through All Saints and Martyrs that
he met Anni, with whom he now shares his life. He has two children,
Tim and Eleanor, from his first marriage.
He still retains a residual support for Queen’s Park Rangers,
but follows Manchester United in the Premiership. His love of
football never matched his personal skills, though he did turn out
regularly for a team in a lowly West London Saturday League. The
same could be said of cricket, though the only team he ever played
for was his house team in Ealing Grammar School for Boys. He joined
the jogging/running craze in the eighties and in 1985 finished the
London Marathon in a respectable 3.09.
Musically his tastes could be described as ‘catholic’, ranging
from Traditional Jazz, fifties and sixties Rock ‘n Roll, Pink
Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Status Quo et al through the Sex Pistols to
Tschaikowsky and Mozart. He and Anni have also developed a taste
for opera and ballet. Lovers of the theatre, they are both strong
supporters of the arts as a medium for personal development, both
for children and adults.
In view of the above, not surprisingly his main work for the
Council has centred around Leisure. He has been Chair of the
Community Leisure Committee, Lead Member for Leisure and most
recently was the Cabinet Member for Leisure.
Mayoress of Rochdale - Mrs Ann Jones
A child of the fifties, born and brought up in Middleton and on
Langley, Ann was a pupil at Langley County Primary School prior to
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Alkrington. At about nine years
old she joined the Brownies and her links with All Saints and
Martyrs Church began. She enjoys playing an active part in church
life.
Ann is a member of the Management Committee of the Burnside
Youth and Community Centre and in the past she ran a pre-school
playgroup on the estate.
She currently works in Occupational Therapy for Manchester
Mental Health and Social Care Trust, based at Park House in
Crumpsall. She often uses art and creativity in her work with
in-patients, though she would by no means call herself an artist.
She has worked in Mental Health since 1991.
As part of her quest to learn more about different faiths, Ann
regularly attends the Rochdale Multifaith Partnership.
Before her mum retired, she owned a hardware, toys and fancy
goods shop in Heywood, called “Homeware”. The first premises were
on the corner of Church Street and Hornby Street, now the car park.
The business moved further up towards Manchester Street, when that
shop had to be demolished, after a car ran into it. When her son,
Marc was small, Ann used to work in the shop with her mum and has
fond memories of that time.
Ann loves dancing, from having a bop to ballroom. Her music
tastes range from Meatloaf to Puccini, very similar to Robin, in
fact, though they part at Punk. She really enjoys live theatre
including ballet and opera. Miss Bollywood was a recent
favourite.
She loves the Derbyshire countryside, particularly Ladybower,
where her mother’s family come from. Her father’s family background
is German. She also adores the Scottish Highlands and describes
them as “soul country”.
Ann says she is excited about this coming year as the Mayor’s
Consort. She is very much looking forward to meeting people from
different groups and backgrounds and learning more about what goes
on in the life of the four Townships. She also hopes she can do
justice to the role when supporting Robin as ambassador for the
Borough.