Family: Being Mayor is bad for the waistline, says Julie

Jan 7 2010 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

JANUARY is the month in which we generally take stock, cut back and resolve to live better.

For residents of Kirklees, says Mayor Julie Stewart-Turner, it’s an ideal opportunity to think about ways to reduce their impact on the environment.

Although the council has already made a commitment to recycling – supported by all parties – Julie believes there’s still a lot more that can be done by ordinary householders to reduce their carbon footprint and be greener.

When she took office in May 2009 it was clear that Julie’s term as Mayor would be used to promote recycling and environmentally-friendly lifestyles. Even the traditional mayoral banquet was comprised of dishes cooked from locally-sourced ingredients.

“We had trout pate made with fish from a local trout farm; beef from Hinchliffe’s; Longley Farm dairy products; locally-grown soft fruit and Yorkshire and Lancashire vegetables,” explained Julie.

Food production is a major environmental issue and one that Julie believes we can all act upon.

“Whenever I can I buy from the local farmers’ markets at Cleckheaton and Holmfirth. The council is currently looking at sites for an additional market.

“It’s really important for our long-term food security to buy locally-sourced food and think about the food miles involved in getting something to the shops,” she said.

“Whenever possible we should be eating seasonal food, and organic food is important – there’s no massive benefit nutritionally with organic but there’s a massive benefit for the soil.”

Unfortunately for Julie, food has become something of a personal issue since she took up mayoral office and she’s been forced to compromise some of her principles.

“I’ve always had to watch my weight but I’ve put on quite a bit since becoming Mayor. During December I had engagements morning, noon and night, seven days a week,” she said.

“I was offered food everywhere we went – Christmas dinners, afternoon teas, mince pies and Christmas cake. It would have been impolite to refuse and, anyway, I enjoy eating. I’ve been eating mince pies since the end of November, I love them,” she explained.

To make matters worse, Julie says she’s had to abandon healthy eating patterns. “I am eating at irregular times and because we’re so busy I don’t have the time to shop properly at the farmers’ markets. I have been popping down the road for a take-away quite a bit.”

Julie’s New Year resolution is to get back to healthier eating and lose up to a stone in weight. She plans to seek sponsorship for her efforts in order to raise money for the four mayoral charities – The Mission Café and Welcome Centre in Huddersfield and Care and Daybreak in Dewsbury – which all work with people in crisis.

As well as adopting a sensible eating plan – for which she is seeking advice from NHS Kirklees – Julie will be trying to exercise more.

Exercise, she says, can also be a green issue. “I go to the gym to do circuit training twice a week and I got rid of my car four years ago. Not having a car is greener and encourages me to walk and get the bus. Walking into town once or twice a week (from her home in Taylor Hill) builds exercise into my daily routine. Exercise is good for your emotional wellbeing as well as being about fitness,” she explained.

“Losing weight, from a green point of view, is about using local fresh produce as a starting point and getting your life into balance. You have to stop being greedy.”

Julie believes that more and more people are becoming enthusiastic about recycling. “The vast majority of people in Kirklees have been very good at it but now it’s about encouraging people to buy the recycled goods made by the contractors who do the recycling,” she said.

“My bin bags are all from recycled plastic and my kitchen towel is from recycled paper. We need to support the people who make the recycled items.”

Even the Stewart-Turner Christmas tree was from a sustainable source and will be recycled by being turned into wood chip for the garden.

“Our Christmas presents were wrapped in brown paper so that it could be recycled. Unfortunately a lot of wrapping paper can’t be recycled,” she said.

As she enters 2010 and the last few months of her term of office Julie hopes to continue promoting greener policies. It’s not party political, she says, because it’s in all our interests to be green.

“It’s best to make small permanent changes than trying to do too much at once,” she says. “And to think about what we do. There are all sorts ways to recycle and help the environment, including simple things like switching off lights when you don’t need them to keep down the nasty energy bills that arrive after Christmas.”