New Mayor of Kirklees meets 'inspirational' pupils at a Dewsbury school on his first official civic visit

Coun Masood Ahmed visited Carlton Junior and Infant School to join staff and pupils in their Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The event was Coun Ahmed’s first official appointment as the Mayor of Kirklees after he was elected at Huddersfield Town Hall on Wednesday, May 25.

He said: “I am overwhelmed, proud and honoured to be the Mayor of Kirklees and to come to my first engagement as Mayor is an honour and a privilege.

“The support I have received from parents, families, staff and the children at the school has been fantastic.

“The assembly was very emotional for me if I am going to be brutally honest.

“It was overwhelming to see such lovely children performing and giving their presentations - even I got a history lesson today.

“They are an inspiration, fantastic role models and who knows, they could be future leaders or Mayors.

“I want to thank the school for inviting me to my first civic engagement.

“I am looking forward to being the Mayor, supporting my charity and visiting as many communities and businesses as possible.

“We have had a difficult two years and I really want to be that citizen that brings us back to where we should be.”

As well as the new Mayor of Kirklees, other guests included Coun Habiban Zaman, Coun Adam Zaman and Deputy Lieutenant Iqbal Bhana OBE, who all received the Jubilee Celebration Award for their attendance.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Mayor’s charity of choice, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Salma Pandor and Alex Chanteleau.

The children then delivered a special Jubilee assembly to their special guest which involved each year group performing acts such as singing, poetry reading, dancing and telling the audience interesting facts about the Queen which they had researched.

Aleena Ghafoor, Year six pupil at the school, said: “I found the assembly very useful because I got to find out facts about the Queen that I didn't know before.

“It is important to celebrate the Queen and the Jubilee because she rules over the country and she is the Queen and we need to have respect for her.”

Amaarah Mahmood, also a Year six pupil, said: “I found the assembly very fun and knowledgeable to watch all the children present and showcase their work and I learnt lots of new facts as well.

“It’s important to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee because she cares and looks after our country and without her our country wouldn't be where it is today."

The celebrations also included a crown competition, a Jubilee cake competition and the planting of a Jubilee tree in the school grounds.

The winning Jubilee cake, which was picked by Coun Ahmed, was made by Year six pupil Alaina Kareem.

The cake was chosen by the Mayor for its texture and flavour, saying “it was everything he liked in a cake”.

Rizwana Mahmood-Ahmed, head teacher of Carlton Junior and Infant School, said: “Today we have celebrated the Platinum Jubilee.

“This helps the children understand how the country functions, their place within it, how important the monarchs are and how they contribute to everything they have now.

“It’s about instilling in the children good citizenship and respect.

“Having the Mayor here today goes to show the place the school has in the community.

“To also have the Deputy Lord Lieutenants here as well gives the children exposure to the different roles and helps them understand the importance of these roles and where they fit into the infrastructure of the towns and cities.

“On behalf of the Carlton Junior and Infant School we wish Her Majesty a happy Platinum Jubilee.”