A mum who came to Reading as a refugee has been made the first Black female mayor.
Councillor Alice Mpofu-Coles (Labour, Whitley) has been made the Mayor of Reading at an annual council meeting in the Town Hall yesterday (Wednesday, May 21).
She came to Reading in the 1990s as a refugee from her native Zimbabwe.
In her acceptance speech, cllr Mpofu-Coles mentioned the adversity she faced in her home country and the support she was given by the Reading Refugee Support Group.
She said: “I arrived here, to the UK broken, like every refugee here. I lost everything I believed in. I slept on sofas.
“I continued with dignity and went on.
“There are so many wars, so many inequalities, so much discrimination. Reading is enriched by the immigrants who are here. Let’s not forget the people who work in the NHS, they came to shine when I had aggressive breast cancer.”
Cllr Mpofu-Coles published her memoir ‘Dear God from Your Poached Egg Breast’ in 2019, which reflects on her life in Zimbabwe, her battle with cancer and her faith in God.
She was elected as a Labour councillor for Whitley three times in a row in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Cllr Mpofu-Coles said: “I thank Almighty God for the grace he has given me in my life. Thanks to the residents of Reading for voting for me in 2021, ’22 and ’23. I’m profoundly grateful to the wider residents of Reading for welcoming me.”
Prior to fleeing to Reading, she served as a diplomat in the former Yugoslavia, reflecting on her naivety of bringing high-heeled shoes rather than the boots needed during the Balkan winter.
In closing, cllr Mpofu-Coles said: “I’ll dedicate my time to serving the people diligently at all times.”
She was nominated as mayor by cllrs Micky Leng and Rachel Eden, her fellow Labour councillors in Whitley.
There was then a motion of thanks to cllr Glenn Dennis (Labour, Kentwood), the outgoing mayor for 2024/25.
His year involved the naming of the junction of the IDR junction with Chatham Street and Caversham Road ‘the Windrush Roundabout’, and forging closer links to Reading’s twin town of Speightstown in Barbados.
Paul Gittings (Labour, Coley), a councillor for more than two decades, was elected as the deputy mayor.
The mayor-making ceremony involved the passing of the mayoral chain and garb in private.
During an interval, guests were entertained by a poetry recital by Serena Vanderpuye, and ‘A Song of Hope’ was sung by children from Whitley Park and Geoffrey Field Primary Schools, and written by Katesgrove Primary School in collaboration with World Groove.
Cllr Mpofu-Coles re-entered the Town Hall auditorium following Musa Madonda, who performed a Zimbabwean traditional dance.
Cllr Mpofu-Coles has two adult children and is married to Wayne Coles.
