Sioned-Mair Richards is the 125th Lord Mayor of Sheffield.
Lord Mayor of Sheffield Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards
I am originally from Wales but moved to Sheffield 21 years ago. I live in Burngreave with my son Dan and our cat Titch. I am semi retired though being a councillor keeps me busy. I have worked in local government most of my life with a spell as an infant teacher and I also worked as a researcher for an MP in Parliament.
I moved to Sheffield to be with my husband Howard. He died two years ago from pancreatic cancer, a swift and cruel disease. He died in the Palliative Care Unit at the Northern General Hospital. The care was second to none but we both agreed at the time that the building needed brightening up, modernising and making more comfortable. I promised him that I would do this but then Covid hit…. Now finally I am in a position to fulfil my promise and will be fundraising for the Palliative Care Unit to make it the place that the dying deserve.
If you came to my house and looked in you’d know that my passion is books! I’ll read anything from Nordic thrillers to chick lit to recent history. I volunteer at Ecclesfield library every week and love talking books to our regulars. We have a playgroup on a Friday where the children race about, carrying books, being read to and generally associating libraries with having a good time.
I have promised that every Wednesday of my year as Lord Mayor, I will have children from all around the city come to the Mayor’s Parlour to read with me and talk books. I’ll also be going out to meet groups in libraries and doing all I can to give the love of reading to the children of Sheffield. I will be fundraising to make sure books are part of the lives of all our children.
The last few years have been hard for all of us. I’ve got through with the help of good women friends and bereavement counselling from St Lukes’ hospice. But I know I’ve been fortunate with all this. Covid has kept us at home and sometimes home isn’t the safe place it should be. The third strand of my fundraising this year will be for women and children who have suffered domestic abuse. I will also be working with others to raise awareness about women’s safety in all parts of their lives from walking through our parks to nightclubbing to getting around on public transport.
Finally, please please invite me, and Jackie the Lady Mayoress, to see what you or your group are doing. I’m really looking forward to getting out and meeting people. Those having 100th birthdays, those organising friendship lunches, those making charity events happen, those working to change lives, those volunteering quietly. If you are among those people making Sheffield the brilliant place that we’re all proud to call home, then I can’t wait to meet you.
Inviting the Lord Mayor to an event
Please contact the Lord Mayor’s Office if you would like to invite the Lord Mayor to an event. If you are sending an invite in the post or by email please include appropriate details such as the date, time, place and type of event.
The Lord Mayor has a full programme of civic engagements and it is not always possible to fit in events at short notice.
Lord Mayor’s Charity Fund
Charitable donations are given to the Lord Mayor from various individuals and organisations throughout the year. These are controlled by the Lord Mayor’s Office acknowledging donations, banking the money and keeping appropriate records.