Issue - meetings

The Mayor made an acceptance speech as follows: 

“Honoured and distinguished guests, friends, colleagues and fellow 

councillors, I would like to welcome you and thank you for your interest and support in joining us today. It would have been much more pleasant if this ceremony was done as previously, but our borough is keen to remain protective and prudent of our safety during the pandemic.

I am deeply humbled to stand here as the elected Mayor of Enfield. Your hope and trust in me reflect the diversity and unity of our great Borough. I take the responsibility and trust you have shown me very seriously, as I commit to serving the people of our borough to the best of my ability with enthusiasm, compassion and devotion. 

I would like to thank my family and friends for their abundant support and understanding over my political role as I prepared to become a councillor, and now the Mayor of Enfield.

I was born in Turkey in 1968 in a small village in Afsin, Maras. My family moved to Istanbul when I was 6 years old, where I attended primary school, secondary school and high school. I came to England to go to a University. When I came I did not even speak a word of English. I was the first person in my family to attend University, graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University, where I spent a year in the U.S for work experience. 

After graduating in 1992, I entered the clothing industry, and have been in manufacturing since.

As the father of 2 Enfield-born children, I vow to serve our borough to my full capacity and promise to support and encourage all the agencies and voluntary sector units that work tirelessly. I am hoping to work closely with those involved with the community safety in our borough, and the Police. I am dedicated to support or local NHS workers who are doing a wonderful job during the pandemic, as well as the schools in our borough in their plight to 

provide an invaluable service despite limited resources.

Furthermore, I am hoping to gain the utmost support through my charity, by working diligently with as many voluntary sector groups, ensuring that those who are “hard to reach” are reached and supported.

I give my thanks to Jeremy Chambers, Director of Law & Governance and the officers in Democratic Services and the Mayor’s Office for their invaluable guidance in the run-up to tonight’s ceremony.  I sincerely thank you again for your valued support.  I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening.”

The Mayor began by saying it was wonderful to be back and that she would speak from her heart.

The Mayor thanked everyone for being there and welcomed them all to the meeting. 

The Mayor said that she was proud to be part of this great, vibrant and diverse borough.  That it was a great privilege and responsibility to be able to take on the role of Mayor and she sincerely appreciated the trust that her fellow councillors had put in her.  She was committed to serving the people of Enfield with enthusiasm and compassion.

The Mayor had grown up the eldest of seven children, two girls and five boys, but her father at a time when girls were not educated, had believed in gender equality and had sent her to school. She thanked her father for this and for enabling her to come such a long way from Nanka, her small town in the state of Anambra in Nigeria, with only 40,000 people. 

At this point the King and Queen of her home village, Nanka, entered.  They had come from so far away, with their cabinet to celebrate with her. The Mayor welcomed them with a traditional greeting.

The Mayor had served 40 years in the National Health Service at North Middlesex Hospital.  As a midwife she had bought many children into the world, many who were now mums and dads themselves.  She had valued the support she had been able to give women over these years including women suffering from domestic violence. 

Enfield had been a second home to her. She had been widowed when her youngest child was 18 months old, bought up her family of two boys and two girls as a single parent and so had a soft spot for single parents.  It was not always easy to keep children honest and on the right path, but she believed that God did not give you what you cannot carry, and she had not given up.

Her father and her husband had supported her in her training to become a nurse and she had been determined to make the best use of her profession.  However it was her father who had wanted her to become a nurse, she herself had wanted to be a lawyer, and so once she had achieved his ambition she had later studied for a law degree at the University of North London.  This was at the same time as working full time and bringing up her four children. 

After completing her degree, although continuing as a midwife, she had used it to help others by working as a shop steward at the hospital.  This had eventually led her to becoming a councillor. 

As a councillor she had been able to help many people.  In 2014-18 she had taken a break from the Council and had set up two groups: a forum for African Caribbean and Asian women and a group to support women into politics.  She had also worked with young  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4

The Mayor began “honoured and distinguished guests, friends, colleagues and fellow councillors, I would like to welcome you and to thank you for showing your interest and support by being here today”.

She said that she was proud and honoured to stand here as the elected Mayor of this great, vibrant and diverse borough.

Her fellow councillors had bestowed a great privilege and responsibility upon her and she expressed her sincere appreciation to everyone for placing their trust in her.

She took the responsibility and the trust that the members had shown in her very seriously and was committed to serve the people of Enfield to the best of her ability and with enthusiasm, compassion and devotion to the community.

1.               Thank yous

The Mayor said that this very special speech was one of thanks. Thanks to members individually and collectively for enabling her to take the Mayoral Office for a year.

She thanked her entire family, her beloved husband Ismet Karakus and her children, Destiny and Efran, other friends and family members all for their tireless support and understanding over the recent months in her political role as she prepared to become a councillor.

She thanked Jeremy Chambers, Director of Law & Governance and the Officers in Democratic Services and the Mayor’s Office for their invaluable help and support during the run up to the evening’s ceremony.

2.               Background

The Mayor said that she had been born in Turkey and had moved to London with her family as a child, attending Princess May Primary School in Hackney. 

At the age of 11, her family moved to Enfield where she had attended the Lea Valley High School and Enfield College.  She had run her own health and beauty clinic in Edmonton, as well as getting involved in local community theatre and writing scripts for plays and directing groups for performances at the Millfield Theatre.  Her plays delivered messages of love, humanity and inclusion, irrelevant of religion, language, gender or borders.

3.               Future Plans

The Mayor vowed to serve the London Borough of Enfield to the best of her ability and promised to support and to encourage all the agencies and voluntary sector units that worked so tirelessly to provide excellent services to those who needed it most.  She was hoping to work closely with those involved with community safety in the Borough and the Police.  As well as supporting the local NHS service and Enfield schools in their plight to provide an invaluable service with the current limited resources.  She was especially interested in touching the lives of those living in a lonely and isolated environment, in need of a helping hand. 

The Mayor said that she was hoping to gain as much support as possible during her mayoral year, through her charity, by working closely with many voluntary sector groups to include as many “hard to reach” communities as possible.

She was proud to be a resident of Enfield, where the community as a whole was one of plentiful  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5