Mayor of Medway

Mayor of Medway To promote our wonderful Medway Towns and share all the amazing events that take place here.

We aim to platform the good work and the great people that make Medway so special. This year the Mayor has chosen Caring Hands in the Community and Slide Away as his charities.

When life feels dark, it is the light we share that helps others find their way. Margaret Stanley has a very special gif...
17/08/2026

When life feels dark, it is the light we share that helps others find their way. Margaret Stanley has a very special gift for doing just that, letting her light shine for others, with kindness, courage and unwavering determination. ✨

Last week, I was delighted to attend the wonderful My Shining Star Fun Day at Rainham Cricket Club, a fantastic community celebration raising funds and awareness for My Shining Star Children’s Cancer Charity.

A very happy birthday to the incredible Margaret Stanley. Margaret is one of our community’s brightest lights: always putting others first, offering support when it is needed most, and inspiring those around her through her strength and compassion. I hope you had a truly wonderful birthday, Margaret.❤️

The work of My Shining Star is so important. The charity supports families facing the trauma of childhood cancer, offering vital financial help and support for the whole family at an extraordinarily difficult time.

Thank you to Heather O'Keeffe, Margaret, the volunteers, supporters, families and everyone who made the day such a success. Together, you are making a real difference and helping many lights continue to shine. 🌟

⭐️ My Shining Star Fundraising Group ⭐️ Douglas K Hamandishe Medway Council

13/08/2026

It is our pleasure to welcome four students from Japan to Medway today 🇬🇧🇯🇵

Our four Medway students received such a warm welcome during their time in Japan, and I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to their host families and everyone involved for taking such wonderful care of them.

Now it’s Medway’s turn to return that hospitality! I hope our Japanese visitors have a fantastic stay, make some wonderful memories and enjoy everything Medway has to offer.

Our friendship with Japan is a very special one, with our links to Itō and Yokosuka rooted in the remarkable story of Gillingham-born William Adams more than 400 years ago.

A very warm welcome to Medway, we’re delighted to have you here! 🇯🇵🤝🇬🇧

⭐️ My Shining Star Fundraising Group ⭐️ Douglas K Hamandishe Medway Council

What a roar-some afternoon at Dino Day: Hunt for the Dinos at the Pentagon Shopping Centre yesterday! I had great fun jo...
13/08/2026

What a roar-some afternoon at Dino Day: Hunt for the Dinos at the Pentagon Shopping Centre yesterday! I had great fun joining the dinosaur hunt and seeing so many children and families enjoying the free activities.

A huge thank you to Child-Friendly Medway and every volunteer who helped make the day so special for local children, and for one extremely happy Mayor! ❤️

Keep your eyes peeled for the next hunt… see you there! 🦖🦕
Douglas K Hamandishe

11/08/2026

Last night, G.Beatz saved my life. 🎶
A nightclub where the only guest-list rule is: come as you are.
The Mayoress and I celebrated 10 incredible years of G.Beatz CIC, Grace Lowdell’s brilliant space for adults with disabilities to dance, connect and be fully themselves.
Big love to Grace, the G.Beatz CIC family, Gillingham FC and Jamie Johnson.
All access. Good vibes only. 🕺🏾✨
Gillingham Football Club Douglas K Hamandishe

Last night, G.Beatz saved my life. Or at the very least, it restored my faith in what a great night out should look like...
11/08/2026

Last night, G.Beatz saved my life. Or at the very least, it restored my faith in what a great night out should look like.

“If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in” may be a famous nightclub line, but it has no place in a community that believes everyone deserves joy, friendship, music and a dancefloor.

At G.Beatz, the guest list is simple: come as you are.
Last night, the Mayoress and I joined the celebration of 10 years of G.Beatz CIC at The Factory Bar.

Ten years of Grace Lowdell’s hard work, dedication and unstoppable passion creating a safe, welcoming space for adults with disabilities to meet, dance, celebrate and simply be themselves. And what a community it is: the liveliest, friendliest and most beautiful bunch of ravers in Medway.

We did not just cut the cake, we cut a few shapes too.

A huge thank you to Grace, everyone who makes G.Beatz happen, Gillingham FC for hosting, and Jamie Johnson from The Voice for bringing the soundtrack.

Here’s to another ten years of all-access, real accessibility and good vibes only.

Gillingham Football Club G.Beatz CIC Douglas K Hamandishe Jamie Johnson

When 101 years you reach…no amount of cheering can ever truly do justice to the gratitude we hold for the sacrifices you...
09/08/2026

When 101 years you reach…no amount of cheering can ever truly do justice to the gratitude we hold for the sacrifices you and your peers made for the freedoms we enjoy today.

It was an absolute privilege to stand alongside the family of Royal Navy veteran George McKenna to celebrate his incredible 101st birthday. George served aboard HMS Eglinton, providing vital Naval Gunfire support to the troops landing on Sword Beach on D-Day, 6th June 1944.

Watching the parade march past George was a deeply moving experience. Seeing the uniformed personnel give a crisp “Eyes right” to honour him, followed by the cadets forming up to deliver three resounding cheers, was a perfect tribute to a true local hero.

Honestly, a 101 salute needs to be a thing. Happy Birthday, George, and thank you for everything.❤️

Chatham Royal Marines Cadets Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs Douglas K Hamandishe

Six years of colour, culture and community in Medway! Thank you to the Royal Engineers Museum for hosting such a key com...
08/08/2026

Six years of colour, culture and community in Medway!

Thank you to the Royal Engineers Museum for hosting such a key community event. The backdrop was epic, providing the perfect scene for edutainment, celebration and community cohesion that makes Medway such a vibrant and special place.

The day was filled with carnival spirit: a colourful parade, steel pan performances and lessons, live music, dancers, arts and crafts, face painting, delicious cultural food, community stalls and so much more.

This is more than a celebration; it is a chance to connect, share traditions, discover something new and celebrate what unites us. Events like this show the very best of Medway: welcoming, creative, proud and stronger together.

Thank all those who came along with friends and families to join in the celebration. Here’s to many more years of colour, creativity and community! 🌍🎶🎨

Douglas K Hamandishe Sharon Jackson Royal Engineers Museum

After opening the Rochester Airport Family Fun Day and Air Display, my second engagement as Mayor took me somewhere equa...
02/08/2026

After opening the Rochester Airport Family Fun Day and Air Display, my second engagement as Mayor took me somewhere equally inspiring, the opening and private viewing of Rochester Cathedral's summer programme, showcasing major new commissions by Medway artists.

If the airport reminded us how high we can fly, the Cathedral reminded us how deeply our roots run.

This exhibition is more than beautiful artwork. It is what happens when we choose to believe in local talent. With £52,000 invested in Medway artists and community arts organisations, these walls now tell stories that belong to us all.

Art has a remarkable way of doing something politics, business and even words sometimes cannot. It brings people together. It starts conversations. It helps us see the world through someone else's eyes. That is community cohesion in action.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this exhibition possible, from the artists and producers to the partners, supporters and volunteers who believed in the vision. You have created something that will inspire residents and visitors alike.

Medway is full of extraordinary people. When we invest in creativity, we invest in each other.

Let's keep backing our artists, because when creativity flourishes, communities flourish too.❤️

Douglas K Hamandishe Rochester Castle

From 12,000 feet 🌏Medway has never looked so beautiful.🤩We are family.From 12,000 feet, something remarkable happens.You...
01/08/2026

From 12,000 feet 🌏
Medway has never looked so beautiful.🤩

We are family.

From 12,000 feet, something remarkable happens.

You don't see boundaries. You don't see postcodes. You simply see one community.

That's Medway.

It was a privilege to open the Rochester Airport Family Fun Day and Air Display as Mayor of Medway. What a fantastic celebration of aviation, heritage and community.

For over a century, Rochester has looked to the skies. This weekend reminded us that our proud aviation story is still being written.

I was honoured to welcome everyone before introducing our Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Watching the next generation stand on the very airfield where so much history began filled me with hope for the future.

The day also marked an important transition.

Thank you to Kelvin Carr for your years of dedicated service as Aerodrome Accountable Manager. Your commitment has helped keep Rochester Airport safe and thriving.

Congratulations to Ben Spiers, who now takes the controls. I wish you every success as you lead the airport into its next chapter.

A huge thank you to our sponsors Jet Bean Rochester, Invicta Aero Club and Live Innovative Solutions, and to every volunteer, organiser, tenant and member of staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Events like this only happen because people quietly give their time to serve others.

I also love that 25% of the day's net proceeds will support the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Charity, helping save lives across our region.

As the aircraft soared overhead, something even greater happened on the ground. Families laughed together, neighbours connected, and thousands of people shared a day to remember.

If I may make one gentle request... let's not wait another 20 years.

This was simply fabulous.

Let's do it all again next year.

That's Medway, let me know if you can your home in the pictures.

We are family.❤️

Douglas K Hamandishe Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex Rochester Airport Chatham Royal Marines Cadets

What an unforgettable evening with the Mayor of Margate celebrating Charter Day on a guided walk through the town's rich...
30/07/2026

What an unforgettable evening with the Mayor of Margate celebrating Charter Day on a guided walk through the town's rich history. It was one of those events that reminds you how stories, heritage and community bring places to life.

The perfect ending? Watching an incredible Turner-inspired scarlet sunset over the sea. I couldn't resist putting my photography skills to the test and trying to capture the moment through my lens.

The real question is... how did I do? 📸🌅

Douglas K Hamandishe

Address

Mayors Parlour, Gun Wharf
Chatham
ME44TR

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441634332404

Website

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