A special Catholic News podcast in which we speak to the charismatic Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Robert Rigby.
When you picture a Lord Mayor you probably conjure up images of mayoral chains and hats, meeting important people, being the ‘first citizen’ of a city with all the trappings that accompany such an office – but it’s also a role that comes with great responsibility to the people you serve.
Faith and humility play a key part in that service, and the Lord Mayor is not afraid to discuss how his Catholic faith underpins his approach to his work:
“To be honest, my faith is important to me, and I’m not shy when it comes to talking about it. I was educated, actually, by the Benedictines, so I’m proud of that. It instilled in me certain characteristics that have stuck with me in my life…
“I come from a Catholic family and I’m an active Catholic,” says the Lord Mayor. “I go to Church regularly and I find it a great source of inspiration. I want to bring that through to what is a very high-profile position, and it gives me a great benchmark to work from.”
In this 40-minute podcast we also discuss:
His passion for exercise and how, as a distance runner, he is keen to champion the need to be active to Westminster’s school pupils. He promotes the Daily Mile – an initiative that encourages all young children to walk or run a mile every day.
His heart for charitable works – particularly tackling homelessness on London’s streets. One of the two official charities for his mayoral year is the Cardinal Hume Centre.
How the political life is in his blood – his father was a local Councillor and a mayor in 1963.
Being the first Lord Mayor of Westminster to have a Japanese Lady Mayoress – and a little linguistic show-boating to the visiting Emperor and Empress of Japan!
A few light-hearted quirkies – including the official handover, in Oslo, of a Norway Spruce that is transported to the UK and ends up bedecked in lights in London’s Trafalgar Square.
All this and more…
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