A 17-YEAR-old accompanied the Mayor of Worcester for a day last month.

Worcester teen Jessica Burden who accompanied Councillor Jabba Riaz with his official duties, shares her experience of her day with the Mayor.

“On 30th June I was lucky enough to be the Councillor Jabbar Riaz, Mayor of Worcester’s, companion for the day. This involved accompanying him through his busy schedule. We attended five different events and I'm told that number is not uncommon during the summer months.

My Asperger Syndrome means I can struggle with implicit expectations. I learn unspoken expectations and rules by finding patterns in observing others. By accompanying Councillor Riaz I was able to refine my patterns (there was a lot of socialisation practice such as small talk about the heat and sun that day) and observe new ones (I have never come across a Mayor role before). An example of a valuable lesson was how the Mayor integrated into every event, no matter how different each one was. It was interesting how he had notes on every event often detailing whether it was formal or not - I imagine this helped him adjust his social demeanour and expectations.

Everyone I met during the day was incredibly kind and friendly. As a fan of Antiques Roadshow I was a little star struck to meet Henry Sandon - an expert who appears on the Show. This was at the second event of the day, when we went to the opening of Henry Sandon Hall at Worcester Royal Porcelain Works.

I am very grateful that the Mayor allowed me to be his companion for the day. I was impressed how he took time out of the busy schedule to give me advanced warnings on when I might get overwhelmed by intense sensory input, like camera flashes. I had a great time and it truly was a day I won’t forget anytime soon. I recommend those who are interested to contact the Mayor's office and ask to be companion for the day. I'm glad I did.”