Emmaville Primary School

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Mayor of Gateshead Visits Emmaville

1st May 2025

We were honoured to host the Mayor Of Gateshead (Kathleen McCartney) this week, who paid us a visit on a sunny morning.  She was dressed in full regalia, which must have been very warm for her, as she was wearing the ceremonial robes, a tricorn hat and the heavy mayoral chain.  Ms McCartney is coming to the end of her term as Mayor, and is actually very local, living in Crawcrook, so it was lovely to welcome her to our school.  She was accompanied by the Mace Bearer for the Mayor of Gateshead, Ken Jobling, who has been in that role for over 20 years. 
 
The mace bearer is a ceremonial role that involves carrying the mace, a symbol of authority, before the Mayor of Gatehead at formal events. The mace bearer, often referred to as the Mayor's Sergeant at Arms, usually carries the mace over his right shoulder, with the cross and orb pointing upwards.  It was really interesting to find out about the different parts of the mace, which is made of gold-plated silver and has lots of symbols on it.  He has to wear gloves so that the gold does not become tarnished from touching his hands.  The mace is carried into meetings of the council, and always goes before the mayor.
 

Becoming Mayor is considered to be the highest honour within the council and the role is held by a serving councillor who is nominated by fellow councillors. The Mayor serve for one year only, but it is a full-time job carried out from the Mayor's Parlour at the Civic Centre, Gateshead.  Over the past year, Kathleen has presided over full meetings of the council and has represented the borough at various events within Gateshead and further afield. She has attended around 1,000 events, most of which are connected to local charities or community organisations, like schools.