Cllr Sherin Akhtar has been the Lord Mayor of Chester for the last year. She was elected Cllr for Upton in 2023

How did you feel when you found out you were going to be Lord Mayor?

I was surprised, happy, had tears of joys… it felt like a moment, a moment where I could see the trajectory of my life taking a completely different turn. There is no guarantee of being re-elected in the 2027 elections so I wanted to do it in my first term. You just never know.I really wanted to do this, I wanted to be the Lord Mayor because when I looked in the Town Hall and I looked at all the names, there were no names like mine, there’s no one that looked like me. I thought it would be great for Chester to show how things have changed over the years times have moved on. It is the 21st century.

I wasn’t just going to make my term about representation, it was also going to about integration into British Heritage and Politics and civic life. There are lots of conversations about integration, so I thought, after 808 years, let’s be the first British Asian practising Muslim woman in this role. And that’s what I did. It has been one of the biggest honours and privileges of my life.

What does the position of Lord Mayor mean to Chester?

It’s significant and its woven in our shared history.

It’s something we can’t leave behind. The Chester mayoralty is steeped in history – 808 years of it. You will find other areas with Mayoralties much newer than ours that’s why its means so much to the city.

The Mayors had bigger roles if you look back in history however in modern days, in Chester particularly, it’s a ceremonial role. However, the Lord Mayor is a figure head who has some influence, they have a following, and people are watching them closely. They can add clout/ prestige to an event. They add gravitas and help promote people and places.

When you took office what were your priorities?

Three things mainly, Firstly to reach as many communities as possible, secondly, to raise as much money for my chosen charities, and lastly, to challenge myself.

And I have done all three, which I am pleased about.

What was the first event you attended as Lord Mayor ?

My first engagement was to open a Mosque in Northwich. Then I attended the Heritage festival outside Chester Market.

My diary has been pretty full and this year I believe I have completed almost 400 engagements which has been the busiest year on record for atleast 15 years. All engagements have been meaningful, not just for me, but for the people I have turned up for. I have invited people to the parlour at the Town Hall so it hasn’t just been visits to places, I have also had people visiting me. To anyone that has invited me I have gone out if my diary has allowed, and if I haven’t been able to then the Sheriff or Deputy have gone.

My busiest day was in August, VE day and I had 8 engagements in one day. The attendant picked me up at 8: 30 in the morning and I went to 8 different events throughout Chester.

You have cut a lot of ribbons this year- how does this stack against critics saying Chester is in decline?

I have attended many ribbon cutting events. We have IKEA in Chester, how wonderful is that? It’s international, and they have come to invest in Chester. A small city, but we’re recognised for what we’re worth. We’ve had Harrods beauty, that was an amazing day. It was a wonderful event and there was so much excitement in the air. Hotter Shoes, I opened their shop, Karigawarla, Metro Bank, the Women and Children’s Building at the Hospital..I was also invited to the opening of the Ivy.

What other highlights of the last year would you like to talk about ?

Meeting different communities. I met the Ba’Hai’s – they invited me to one of their meetings. The Tamil community, they also invited me to an event. That’s was such a humbling event. They served me food on a banana leaf, which was different. The 10th anniversary event for Share Shop was brilliant.

The numerous Parades have been good fun. Locals aswell as visitors have watched the parades and it has been lovely to see the different communities come together and enjoy them. To be at the forefront of the parades has been great fun. I try my best to look the part! For instance, the St George’s day parade, I chose 4 different schools to be involved, 3 from Upton and Grosvenor Park academy, who I have done a lot of work with. I visited all 4 schools to do some work with the children in their workshops with Russell Kirk.

Chester was voted the most welcoming city by Booking.com and that was another of my early engagements, which was great fun. I have featured in Cheshire Life magazine, that was also really positive. I also made the British Bangladeshi Who’s Who for 2025 magazine which is also a great accolade. I recently held an event for staff and volunteers who help maintain our parks and green spaces. They were pleased to be recognised in this way, and the event fit in really well with my “pride in place” theme.

International Women’s Day was a big success. Esther Ghey was a speaker, the head of Blacon High, and Dee from Kidsbank. We brought so many women together from all backgrounds and it was a real celebration.

Vatan accountants – they are based in Blacon. A local successful accountants firm who they held a really successful event for Ramadan at the Queens Hotel to break our fast together. I hadn’t realised previously how many Turkish residents we had in Chester and surrounding so that was a real eye opener. They were also a lovely community to be around.

I have enjoyed being invited to visit local independents like Abba Cakes, Rainbow Tea rooms, Chapters and Chester Boutique. The dog christening at Northgate’s bar was great too. Some people didn’t believe that I was the lord mayor – and wondered why i would be attending an event like that. I told them, that i try to attend everything that i am invited to and more so if its important for my people, my communities that I attend their event, then I will attend regardless of what it may be.

Queen’s Park High School’s production of “Oliver” was an amazing highlight and also the scouts Gang Show. The Oliver cast also performed at my recent banquet.

I went to Chester Football Club to watch a match. The club were hospitable, the people watching were a great crowd and we won the match which was a real treat. I also met Cyril Morris, the architect and writer, we celebrated his services to Chester, with the former MP Christine Russell. Unveiling the Thomas Brassey Statue alongside the Duke of Gloucester and meeting Princess Anne were also great highlights too.

The Women’s institute held their centenary celebrations with WI’s from far and wide, and I attended one locally in Upton. Those were also great highlights of this year.

There was a real buzz at the quiz at Chester Market in January. it was so busy we ran out of raffle tickets, and Ainsley Harriot appeared out of nowhere which was great. I’ve recently held an event at Eaton Hall, with the help from volunteers at Chester Women’s Aid, we raised £3.2k. I’ve also climbed mount Snowdon with my friends from ResinProCheshire, Dandystopsoils ,Louiebazamedi, Aintreebuilder, Gemmascakes and others. We have raised and are continuing to raise money for my charities.

How have you coped with the online racial abuse you have experienced?

I’d love to invite them to the parlour to have a cup of tea. Any day of the week, come and have a cup of tea and lets have a open conversation based on facts. I think for me, I have seen that the Hijab speaks for itself, but it doesn’t speak for who I am. I think people have stereotypical views about what it represents. However, for me, It is ‘one’ part of my faith and I have a strong faith background and because of this, I chose to cover myself. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a voice, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t born in this country. It doesn’t mean I am doing anything wrong. I am choosing to wear what I want to wear and that makes me happy.. I’m just another normal person. I am a mum, and I work. I pay the bills and the mortgage like anyone else.

At the beginning of my term I was a little bit worried, I didn’t have a community around me. However, right now I have built a strong community around me, those who didn’t know me, but know me now because of all the work I have put in over the year. For instance the people I have met at Share Shop, at Soul Kitchen. They have had my back, they have supported me in ways that I could not begin to put into words.

Right at the beginning, a personal photo of my family was shared from my investiture. Someone put that photo up of my family with the caption “The Muslims are taking over Chester”.

My family have been in this country since the 1950s, five generations now, so there was a number of people at the ceremony.. there was bound to be. I read the online comments and I was quite taken aback by the abuse. Time progressed, my term was progressing and the comments on the post about my bike riding blew out of proportion in ways that it shouldn’t have been. I had been invited to Bren Bikes and LIVE. We used this opportunity to promote their work through me learning to ride a bike with bikeability which is a council run free course for Adults in Cheshire West. The post and comms was about highlighting the support available for people wanting to learn how to ride a bike and at the same time promoting four really important charities… but that was overshadowed somewhat by the irrelevant comments.

I have a bigger family now at the end of my term and a bigger community and that includes everyone who has supported me through the last year.

I feel like the response hasn’t been in silo, it has been a community response and that’s how I operate. I’m a connector, I like connecting people to serve for the common good and that’s what my community have done for me. They have supported me during those times. The online abusers overshadowed my thoughts for a few minutes, however I certainly did not allow the comments to fester, I have kept going and continued to work hard for Chester, for my people. I will not allow hate to win, and I know and have seen first hand that love always wins… and it certainly will in Chester.

The Civic Team have always said I can talk to them and not have to deal with things on my own, they’ve been really supportive.

Openly racist comments were made on the article. How were you affected?

I am human. I don’t see myself as being any different from anyone else in this country. I have been to Bangladesh which is where my family originates from.

It does affect me, however, I do belong here and the more people that say I don’t , the more I think it’s something about them not me. They say “go back to my country” but Bangladesh is a foreign country to me. There is no reasoning behind what they say.

I am Muslim, I practice my faith in private, my hijab / the scarf I wear on my head isn’t disturbing anyone, it doesn’t do anything but serves as a reminder to me to be kind, to be polite and to be a person of integrity.

There was a person commenting that I was using civic time to learn how to ride a bike, but actually you can make civic time as busy as you want or as quiet as you want. It’s your year and you can do the job how you want. You don’t get paid to do this. You get an allowance but it’s not a paid role. There’s no formal training for the role, you have to put your own stamp on it and I have done just that. I lead with heart, I lead with my ear very close to the ground. I haven’t and will not let negative / factless comments affect me, it takes away from all the good I have done.

You have supported several charities this year

The Heath Youth Club. When they first opened they had some funding, but as they were growing they realised they needed youth workers which cost £5000 a year for part time staff. They needed that extra money. It’s a local charity and they support young people from across the borough. It’s so important to me because I attended youth clubs as a girl and I was a youth worker myself so I know the impact of youth work is far greater than being hanging around in the streets.

My other charity is Chester Women’s Aid, they celebrated 50 years this year. When I first approached them they were considering winding down, I asked them to hold on as I knew I could help to recruit new trustees with the exposure I would give them and I could certainly generate some income for them. I know people that they have helped and I know the impact means so much.

SHARE are great and it was my absolute pleasure to join some of the volunteers on Christmas day where provided a Christmas lunch at The Yard on city road. Dickie Danby CEO of SHARE and Adam Dandy are selfless good men that are an asset to our wonderful city. I have worked with Helen and all the volunteers at Soul Kitchen too and they are all so hardworking and provide really good work in our city. There is wonderful work being done in our communities and the groups work together to help so many people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Rage fitness/ Clatterbridge cancer/ Blades Down/ all wonderful charities.

In total I have raised approximately £31,000 thus far this year, there’s still time to donate to the justfgiving page.

How has the last year gone ?

I’ve achieved everything I wanted to in my role. I have raised the profile of my charities and other charities. The Lord Mayor’s social media has gone from 400 followers to almost 1.9k followers. It’s growing every day, some of the comments are negative, but others aren’t. We have to get out there more, be relevant and make a difference. I’ve done nearly 400 events in a year and the Sheriff has done nearly 100. I have celebrated people and communities.

It has had some silent struggles, some small challenges however in a few words, it has been a great success.

I want to be remembered as the people’s Lord Mayor… wouldn’t that be a great accolade?

Will you give any advice to the incoming Lord Mayor ?

Just enjoy it! Make sure you use your deputies. I have done this job to the best I can and it’s taken a lot of strength, willpower and courage. If you come across negativity, you have to ignore it and continue.