ANNUAL CIVIC AWARDS CEREMONY

Each year, the Town Council honours those people who have given their time money or effort, or indeed all three, as volunteers in helping to run charities or other worthy causes. We invite the general public to nominate people who have done such work and these nominations are considered by a panel of judges who decide who is the current year’s winner. The mayor is one of the judges but like the others, he has no access to the nominations until the judging meeting when the Civic Manager brings them all to the table and leaves them for the panel to consider them. There are no hard and fast criteria laid down so the judges use their own discretion on deciding the outcome.
This year, there were three judges, Joss Baker from Kick FM, Katy Hawthorn from West Berkshire Volunteer Centre and myself. We convened the meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday 14 March in the Mayor’s parlour. We had 11 nominations to review and we had individual copies of the nominations to read and determine. It was not an easy task as they all had their own individual value. However we did in the end chose unanimously a winner, and we judged three as highly commended.
It was my pleasure and privilege to present all nominees with a certificate at the Civic Awards ceremony at the Council Chamber on the evening of 31 March 2008. The eleven were:
Robert Whiting, Bill Battle, Sir Philip Wroughton, Elizabeth Waters, Paul Mitchell, Lucas Hicks, Arthur Frost, Peter Mott, Jim Johnston, Graham Hunter and Fred Carter. Of these 11, Jim Johnston, Graham Hunter and Fred Carter were highly commended and the winner of the 2008 Civic Awards was Peter Mott. He was proposed by the Alzheimers Society for planning fundraising and providing transport; he also drives for the Thatcham Volunteer Car scheme. I presented him with a clock and his name will be inscribed on the base of the Black Horse figure which is held in the Town Hall. I had nothing but praise for them all in their voluntary work and especially Lucas Hicks who is still a teenager who did unpaid work in the Shaw Cemetery.
Newbury Town would be a poorer place without the efforts of such people and I know that there are a great many more people who should be considered for an award.
I would urge all those involved in the voluntary organisations to consider others for next year’s Civic Awards.

NEWBURY SOROPTOMISTS ANNUAL LUNCH

I was invited to attend the Soroptimist’s Annual Lunch at the Regency Park Hotel on Sunday 30 March and the invitation included proposing a toast to Soroptimism after the Loyal Toast. I decided not to go and do this without knowing something about the organisation. I had of course had contact with the organisation at one of their coffee mornings and at the Pancake Races, so with the aid of a Google search and the Oxford Reference English dictionary, I had sufficient facts to enable me to say something really relevant. I duly arrived with Edwina Cooper and were welcomed by Angela Spellman, the President. We also met a number of the members and their husbands before lunch. Amongst them were Irene Rodrick and her husband Roy, who was one of my former work colleagues at AEA Harwell and Sylvia Grimwood and her husband Allick, who is a fellow member of Probus.
We went into lunch and Joyce Platts said the Soroptimists Grace; for food, friends and fellowship, thanks be to God. After an excellent lunch, Angela Spellman invited Janet Wycherley, the Treasurer to propose the loyal toast. After that, I was invited to propose a toast to Soroptimism. I said that my research had elicited from the website that the word soroptimist is derived from the latin word Soros meaning sister and optima meaning best, and loosely translated as being best for women. However the Oxford Reference English Dictionary it states it to be sister plus optimist. I said that whichever one you would choose, it well described your organisation and your members for whenever I had attended any function you had organised, your members had been both the best and optimistic. What I had also discovered was that the Soroptimists were founded in Oakwood, California in 1921 by 80 women and mirrored the aims of Rotary formed in Chicago in 1905 for business and professional men with the aim to promote charitable work. I continued by saying that the early 1900s were very exciting times for women in England with the suffragettes campaigning for the vote and as a result of their actions, won the vote for women over the age of 30. Ten yeas later, women had equal voting rights with men. I said that I had little doubt that these momentous events were the seeds for promoting the Soroptimists in this country. I said that I was unaware of the local club’s membership but having attended a coffee morning and attended the Pancake Races in the Market Place, from which the Club raised hundreds of pounds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, it said a great deal about the strength and organisational skills which your club and members possess. I concluded by stating that without such organisations such as your, the Town and the nation would be much worse off. I then proposed the toast to the Soroptimists.
The President of the London Chilterns Region, Sylvia Watson then responded and indicated how valuable it was to have local clubs such as Newbury which kept the organisation in the public eye and raised money for charity.
The guest speaker was Jack Shovel of the RNLI who gave an account of the RNLI, what it was, how many life boat stations it had and how they managed to keep the boats up to date. He stated that they refuse to accept Government money as they would basically interfere with the organisation and how it is operated. It relies on donations to keep the boats on station and it is therefore important that they have many volunteers and supporters who raise the money. He also had brought with him photographs of different types of lifeboats. It was a most interesting speech which was well received. Following Katy Hawthorne’s vote of thanks, a cheque for £2000 was presented to Jack Shovel for the RNLI.
It was a great occasion and we thanked Angela and her committee for their kind hospitality and wished them well for the future.

PORTSMOUTH CITADEL SALVATION ARMY BAND CONCERT

I have always enjoyed band music, whether it be military or brass band, since playing the E flat tuba at school and in the CCF band and later in the Territorial Army. I was delighted when I received an invitation from the Newbury Salvation Army to attend a concert by the Portsmouth Citadel Band at St. Nicolas Church on Saturday 29 March. For those who know nothing about the Salvation Army, it was founded in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth in the East End of London to carry out evangelistic and social/charitable work and is organised on a military type basis. Its leader is given the title/rank of General and local leaders are given appropriate ranks, such as Captain or Major. They are also ministers.
The purpose of their bands is to serve as an instrument to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as William Booth realised, they can be a powerful evangelistic tool. As well as playing evangelistic music, he realised that secular music should also be included, and as he remarked, why should the devil have all the good tunes!
With all that in mind Edwina Cooper and I arrived and met the local Salvation Army leader, Captain Jim Cussen, and we saw that there was a fairly good audience. The programme indicated a long concert with a half time interval between to allow both the band and audience to stretch their legs and have some refreshment.
When the band filed in, I was surprised at the size of the band, with a full range of brass instruments, and percussion, with an equal number of men and women musicians and an age range from young to mature.
The concert began with a rousing rendering of Finlandia followed by Songs of Victory, which seemed to me to be a splendid way to start this band concert. We then bowed our heads in a prayer given by band leader Andrew Short. The band then played Keep Singing and this preceded a euphonium solo entitled Euphony played by Marc Harry. I have always believed a euphonium to be a difficult instrument to play but Marc who was suited physically for such an instrument, played the piece so beautifully and with such feeling, you could have heard a pin drop. The applause was long and appreciative. His playing was of a standard which would have been welcomed in a leading symphony orchestra. The next piece was an adaptation of Mozart’s Ave Verum and that was a great success with the audience. This was followed by another solo, this time by Alex Manning playing He is lord by Robert Redhead on his flugelhorn. You don’t see too many flugelhorns around although the Hungerford Town Band has a few. It has the same note range as a cornet, has a pitch of B flat and has a largish bell and to me it has a more mellow tone than a cornet. Played the piece beautifully and as the conductor, or rather the Bandmaster, indicated, he is the doyen of the band. The first half of the concert concluded with another moving piece, Resurgam written by Eric Ball.
The first item after the interval was by a Norwegian composer Frode Alnaes entitled Vitae Lux which I believe means the Light of Life and this was followed by a hymn To God be the Glory. This where we were all invited to stand and sing. Oh, to have a band to accompany us every Sunday. That would be a treat. The band then played a melody of hymn tunes and we were invited to count the number of different hymns. I counted 7 but there were in fact 9 in total. We were then treated to a cornet solo by Paul French who made the instrument sing which demonstrated to us that the level of musicianship throughout the band was very high. Two more pieces followed before the penultimate piece The Last Amen which was very appropriate.
There was a pause for the Newbury Leader to thank the Bandmaster and band for their excellent concert and hoped to see them return at some stage. The band then played Paul Drury’s Jubilee and we had four bandswomen leaving their instruments and giving a synchronised tambourine display (with jingles) which I have seen only a few times before. It was very impressive and a great way of ending this concert.
We thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to them coming back for another concert. In the meantime, I will be playing the CD I bought.

DEVIZES TO WESTMINSTER CANOE RACE

The Devizes to Westminster Canoe race is an annual event and as such the Mayor is always asked to send off the canoeists on the Newbury to Marlow stage of the race. I duly arrived at 8 a.m. in my robe , hat and chain with Carol Currey the Mayor’s attendant at Northcroft and walked between the tents which had been pitched by competitors and some supporters in which they had spent the night. I felt sorry for them as there was a blizzard with the snow blowing horizontally across the fields and with no cover whatsoever. Arriving at the start line, I met one of the organising committee members as well as the lady starter who were well wrapped up as were their papers with details of the canoes taking part and their respective start times covered by plastic sheets and perspex. They had obviously experienced these extreme conditions before and had taken appropriate precautions.
There were literally over a hundred canoes involved; some were single and others were two seaters and I did spot a different type of canoe, which was a Canadian canoe which was so popular in the 18th and 19th century frontier times in North America. There were numerous individual competitors but the majority seemed to be from schools, colleges, universities and I noted that one was from a Combined Cadet Force (CCF). Some were crewed by father and son and there were a number of young women taking part. Regardless of whom they were and where they all came from (and I spoke to many from different parts of the country), they were very fit and determined in spite of the awful conditions. As each canoe set off from the start line, they were cheered off by their families and friends, some of whom would later be at Colthrop or further up towards Reading to give them support or food and drink as they passed towards their next stopping point at Marlow on the river Thames.
Reports were coming in that the water on the Thames was very choppy so I did not envy them having to deal with that situation. By 9.45 a.m., most of the canoeists had left and the officials were only dealing with the tail-enders who had no specified time slots. I departed with Carol soon afterwards with the thought of a hot drink and thawing out of my hands and feet and no doubt Carol had a similar idea. I had to admire the competitors who seemed unconcerned about the conditions but were focused on the race itself. This says a lot about the British spirit and long may it continue.

EASTER BONNET COMPETITION

I have to admit that I am not an expert on judging Easter Bonnets and so when I went to Cypress House and Mulberry Court to do just that I was somewhat apprehensive. To add to my concern, Edwina Cooper the Mayoress could not be with me as she had to go to see her son in Cornwall so I could not lean on her either.
When I arrived at Cypress Court, with my attendant Carol Currie, the lounge area was crowded out with ladies with their Easter Bonnets either holding them or wearing them. It was a very colourful scene and I had to look twice as I noted that two men were also wearing Easter Hats of sorts!
Most of them were residents of either Cypress House or the adjoining Mulberry Court or were guests from other sheltered accommodation in the area. Having met the staff running the complex, I told them I would go to every person and mark each bonnet on three criteria; style, creativity and impact and each of the criteria would be marked out of 10 points. On going around the lounge, I heard that many of the ladies had been spending days on making and designing their own hats and I have to admit they were all very creative, colourful and attractive and I have no doubt Edwina Cooper would have been green with envy if she had been there. Nevertheless, I noted down the name of each person wearing their hats and marked each in the three categories but deliberately did not add the scores up then but left it until I had completed the judging. When I finished, I added up all the scores; most had scored between 12 and 15 and there were four who had scored 18 but there was only one who scored 19 and she was the winner. When I announced the method of scoring and the winner, there was applause as the winner received her prize.
Afterwards, there was tea and sandwiches and I was able to meet many of the residents before I had to go. It was a pleasant afternoon and everyone seemed to enjoy it which is what it all about.

BERKSHIRE MAESTROS JUNIOR MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 3rd annual Junior Music Festival was held on Wednesday 19 March at the Anvil in Basingstoke and as two Newbury schools were taking part, I was delighted to have been invited to attend.
It was organised by the Berkshire Maestros and the Newbury Music Centre which is based at Trinity School. The two Newbury schools taking part were Speenhamland Primary and St. Nicolas Junior.
When I arrived at just before 7 p.m., the Anvil was packed with children, parents and teachers and there was so much excitement that it was difficult to speak above the noise. I met up with Councillor Andrew Royles, Chairman of West Berkshire Council, and Mrs Wendy Carpenter who had both been invited to the concert.
It began splendidly with the massed singing of the schools of We’re Gonna Make Music for You under the baton of conductor Gwyn Arch. This was followed by a dance group from Lambourn school performing Flying Free and subsequently the Flight of the Bumble Bee from Aldermaston Primary school all dressed up as bumble bees. They performed a bee dance and then buzzed off into the wings to rapturous applause. The mood changed like the weather to rain associated numbers; a poem the Rainbow mystery, followed by the songs Over the Rainbow and Raindrops keep Falling on my Head, complete with umbrellas. The mood changed again to Space travel and Speenhamland performed Fly me to the Moon, followed by a poem from Holly Choules from Welford entitled Moonbeam. Next was a song and dance routine Silver Moon performed by Emma Meakin from Bradfield and Adam West, St. Nicolas and dancer Amber Bromham from Bradfield. This was a very polished performance, considering their ages. There followed the Hampstead Norreys dance group performing, yes, Stars!
Another slight change of mood gave us Performance Poetry in the form of a Soliloquy of a Weatherman from St Nicolas School. There were two poetry readers and six weathermen and they did so well. We were treated to a recorder ensemble from Burghfield St Mary’s playing the Dance of the Cuckoos and this preceded everyone singing a Jamaica Farewell, Island in the Sun. Another complete change of mood was the Welford Percussion Ensemble who with mainly African drums performed an item with the marvellous title of Impuku Nekati Mali and a splendid dance by Bradfield performed to El Cumbanchero. The last item on the programme was a vocal quartet singing One Voice written by Barry Manilow, which everyone joined in. What a terrific concert. We all enjoyed it and after the concert, teachers and the organisers, the conductor and the band all gathered for a reception. Among them was the Headteacher of St Nicolas school, Tricia Whiting who had helped with the music teacher Heidi Davies for the concert. She was delighted with the school’s performance and it was a fitting tribute to her that she is retiring at the end of term and going to live for a part of the year in France where her husband Rob and her have bought a house.
The concert was a great credit to all the schools and the performers and I am sure that the Berkshire Maestros and the Newbury Music Centre will continue with their success well into the future.

TORCH CLUB EASTER PARTY

The Torch Club invited us to their Easter party at Fairclose on 18 March so Edwina Cooper the Mayoress and I drove down with Carol Currie, the Mayor’s attendant to the day centre. This was our second visit to the Torch Club and it was good to meet some of the members we had met before.
The origin of the club was to entertain those people who had been patients at Fairmile Hospital but the membership had become broader than that. Some of the members were residents of Fairclose and other associated clubs.
The committee had organised some entertainment which was the Good Companions. This is a singing group which regularly entertain the elderly and other volunteer groups and clubs in Newbury. There are 3 men and 5 or more women in the group and they sing songs from the shows, wartime ballads and at times more up to date songs. They dress according to the type of songs they intend to sing and at this party, they had a number of Latin American and Spanish songs so they were in colourful Spanish dress.
All the members thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment and they commented so to us. The afternoon concluded with tea and a buffet and a raffle. The party was another example of how caring people are in Newbury who give up their time to entertain the not so well off either physically or financially. My thanks go the organisers who made such a happy evening for those attending, and to the drivers of the charity buses which took them there and back home.

HOPE FOR PLANET EARTH PRESENTATION

An invitation was extended to me to attend a presentation on Hope for Planet Earth at Park House School on 13 March so Edwina Cooper and I went there at 6 p.m. We had little idea what it was about so we were rather expectant about the evening. Unfortunately the team giving the presentation had been delayed on the road so it did not start until around 7 p.m.
The presentation team consisted of a group of Christian activists, some clergy and scientists, who were dedicated to preserving the environment and helping the third world to survive famine, to adapt to climate change and how organisations such as Tearfund helped through fundraising and awareness, farming in poor countries particularly in Africa. The team also gave a presentation on global pollution and climate change and how Christians could help by individually ensuring maximum energy efficiency in their homes though good insulation and high efficiency appliances, ensure maximum energy saving, using public transport and consider the environment when shopping. One of the presenters said that he had sold his petrol driven car and had bought an electric car. One of the audience at the end of the presentation asked what the team’s views were on nuclear power. One said that it was the susceptible to terrorism while another said there was a shortage of uranium so it could only be a short-term solution.
It was a thought provoking presentation and I am glad that we attended.

OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE ESSENCE SALON

I was invited to carry out the official opening of a new hairdressing salon in the Broadway on the 7 March and so I walked up from the Town Hall to arrive there at 6 p.m. Number 10 used to be a newsagents and I recall it had a rather rundown look and feel about it. When I did arrive, the premises had undergone a transformation. The interior was now bright and cheerful, with gleaming white sinks and comfortable chairs, with bright energy efficient indirect lighting with modern pictures on the walls and a tiled floor. I met the owner, Koulla Swan who walked me around the salon. She took me through into the back room of the salon which had been equipped with a massage bed which was used for that and other beauty treatments. Taking me back into the main salon, she explained that all the products were environmentally friendly, organic or natural products which had come from one of the Nordic countries. She was very conscious of the environment and I gathered that for every 10 customer coming into the salon, she would fund the planting of a tree.
I made a short speech, commending her for her courage in opening another salon when there were so many others in the town; I also said that she would be successful with her use of environmentally friendly products. Having cut the ribbon, we re-entered the salon for a glass of wine and I then chatted to the staff and potential customers. I met Koulla’s husband who was in the computer business who was very positive and upbeat about their new project. I also met her mother and other relatives who had come from Cyprus for the launch and having spent many years there in the Army, I managed to get a short update on the situation there. I met the Bank Manager of Lloyds TSB who had financed the project and two of his staff, both of whom

were from Eastern Europe. One had been a manager in a bank in her own country, while the other was a trainee. Both spoke excellent English.
I was invited to have a hand massage which I declined but one of the customers who had one said it was a great experience. Such experiences pass me by; it must be my age! I had to leave but I did wish them all the best of fortune in the future.

LAUNCH OF THE 30TH INTERNATIONAL NEWBURY SPRING FESTIVAL

The Newbury Spring Festival begins its programme on 10 May and I was invited to attend its launch on 6 March in the Corn Exchange. On arrival I met the Festival Director, Mark Eynon who in his speech to a crowded Bar 1864, gave an outline of this season’s programme. To anyone who is a follower of the Spring Festival, this year’s programme is mouth-watering. For example, the Festival begins with Mendelssohn’s magnificent Elijah in St. Nicolas Church, followed by internationally acclaimed musicians such as the pianist Emanuel Axe, the Chinese cellist Li Wei, the Russian State Symphony orchestra, the European Union Chamber Orchestra with Natalie Clein the brilliant cellist, and Dame Gillian Weir, the brilliant organist. For the first time, Gifford’s Circus will pitch camp at Victoria Park and a number of their performers were in the bar area in typical circus costumes. They will give performances between 15 and 18 May. The guest speaker Barry Millington congratulated the organising committee for such an extensive and highly talented programme. I should say that the programme was not just classical music but a wide range of music including jazz singers and groups and music from the Musicals, as well
as poetry. There is also a session from horticultural experts at Copse Farm. My priority is to get to Gillian Weir’s organ recital, that is if there are any tickets left. This is always a contentious aspect because by the time the programme is published, many of the concerts are sold out to the Friends. This was mentioned at the Launch with the response that the answer was to become a Friend. This makes the cost of a ticket unviable if only one concert is attended.

RECEPTION FOR 42 ENGINEER REGIMENT

It had proved difficult to arrange a date for the reception for the service personnel returning from their operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, due to commitments by the Regiment and the civic programme, and so I was very pleased when we were able to agree the date as Tuesday 4 March in the Town Hall.

Mrs Edwina Cooper, the Mayoress, and I welcomed around 50 soldiers and their partners, which included Lt. Colonel Rupert Dash the Commanding officer to the evening reception. It was a splendid sight to see all the soldiers in uniform wearing their medals indicating their service in the current operational areas, and for the older soldiers, in other conflicts in the past.
In my speech, I said that the purpose of the reception was to honour all those returning from active service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo and to formally acknowledge the valuable service which 42 Engineering Regiment, based at Hermitage, had given over the last 60 years. They had been excellent neighbours to the town, with great friendship and great co-operation with the town’s activities and events. This association was more than realised when the Town Council granted 42 Engineer Regiment the Freedom of the Town in 1997. The links, friendship and co-operation with the town had not diminished; I believed that they had become closer.

I reiterated that the main purpose of the reception was to honour all those soldiers who had returned safely from active service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. While we could sit in the comfort and security of our homes in Newbury, those soldiers deployed in those areas of conflict were in constant risk from an enemy which did not wear a uniform, was difficult to identify and had some support from the local population The climate and conditions were pretty awful and there was little time to relax and do those things which here we take so much for granted. A tour of duty in these areas of conflict must be both physically and mentally draining. We therefore thank and commend you for all the operational tasks which you carry out which ultimately protect our freedoms. I also commend your wives and partners who have to look after your homes and children without your support and not knowing in any detail how you are coping and whether or not you will return unscathed. It takes courage to try and lead a normal life under such circumstances. In conclusion, we welcome you back and honour you for your valuable and courageous service and wish you and your families a happy and successful future. The Town has already given the Regiment the highest accolade some ten years ago in the Freedom of the Town. But we feel that it would be remiss of us not to let you leave this evening without some token of our admiration and thanks for all you have done. We therefore wish to present to your Commanding Officer with a scroll which expresses our gratitude for your continuing friendship with the Town and hope that the longstanding association with the Town will continue long into the future.

I presented the scroll to Colonel Dash and he responded by thanking us for hosting the Regiment and was able to reaffirm the very close links with the Town of Newbury. The Regiment was very proud of the close ties with the Town and grateful for all the support which it had received from its institutions and townsfolk. He then presented the Town Council with a print of a picture of an action in March 1879 in Afghanistan when a Royal Engineer, Captain Edward Pemberton Leach of the Khyber Survey Group won a Victoria Cross in action in the Khyber Pass.

After the formalities, we were able to meet and talk with many of the soldiers and their partners over a drink and buffet. It was a momentous evening which was enjoyed by all and long may the Town’s association with the Regiment continue.

READING PHOENIX CHOIR CHARITY CONCERT

I was delighted to have been invited to attend the Reading Phoenix Choir’s Charity Concert in aid of the Alzheimers Society in St Nicholas Church on the evening of Saturday 1 March 08. When Edwina Cooper and I arrived, we saw from the programme that the Willink School Jazz and Choir would also take part. I knew nothing about the choir and I saw that it had been established some 40 years ago and although not stated in the programme, sings mainly sacred music but does also sing secular, both old and new. It is an amateur choir and raises money for good causes. The music began with a soprano singing an introit Beauty for Ashes accompanied by a tambourine . The choir, some 50 strong, then made a slow entrance one by one singing Welcome. It was a great and moving start to the concert.
The first four items were sacred music; the first William Bird’s O Quam Gloriosum; Crusifixus by Antonio Lotti; an excerpt from Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the Winchester Te Deum by John Rutter. All were sung beautifully. A complete change then came with the Willink School jazz band playing Down by the River to Play which got our feet tapping, and this was followed by Feeling Good by Newley/Bricusse. It was a splendid rendering which earned them great applause.
The Phoenix choir then sang a piece entitled Hambledon, the words of which indicates it has a canal so it cannot be the Hambledon of cricket fame which certainly has no canal. Hambledon was then followed by Bob Chilcott’s Come to the great World and Children go where I send Thee arranged by Norman Wallace, the conductor. The interval which followed was welcomed by everyone, the musicians in particular.
The second half got underway with an out of season Christmas song Hodie Christus Natus Est by Poulenc followed by a modern song Sleep composed by Eric Whitacre. Another Christmas song Alleluia! I bring you news of great Joy by Francis Grier followed and Choose something like Star composed by Randall Thompson then gave the choir a break to allow the Willink Jazz band to return with a number entitled Chain of Fools and Gershwin’s Summertime with two excellent soloists and some great backing from three trumpets, saxophones and two electronic guitars and percussion. It was a great performance from the young musicians who showed wonderful confidence and remarkable playing. They will go far if they continue with their music.
The end of the concert was not far away with the Phoenix choir singing Vaughan William’s The Lover’s Ghost and some light, pieces including When You’re Smiling and a traditional Samoan song Minoi with lots of swaying conjuring up palm trees and tropical sunshine. The climax of the evening was the gospel song You raise me up which was again arranged by Norman Morris.
We thoroughly enjoyed the concert and those who enjoy this type of music should go and hear the Phoenix Choir; their next major concert is at St Mary’s Minster in Reading on 21 June in aid of Cancer Research.

MAYOR’S CHARITY COFFEE MORNING

It is almost a tradition for the Mayor to hold at least one charity coffee morning and this was my second one and this time it was to raise money for my three charities, the Mayor’s Benevolent Fund, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families Association (SSAFA) and the Re-Ordering of the interior of St Nicolas Church project. And so I arrived at around 9 a.m. to help with the preparations and soon Joyce Lewis, the Civic Manager, had me cutting up cake (after, of course, washing my hands!) and placing it on plates. We were soon joined by other volunteers and there were scenes of great industry in both the kitchen and the Council Chamber. It was a trifle unfortunate that Edwina Cooper was not able to attend as she had to go to Cornwall for family business nor did we have the services of the Town Crier, Brian Sylvester, who can both get people in from the Market Place with seemingly no difficulty.
Our first customers arrived at around 10 a.m. by which time we were ready and it is very pleasing that we get regular customers in to buy coffee or tea and cake; it is after all a great bargain at £1 a time. Not only do we get local people, but we also get a fair attendance from visitors to the town; we after all well placed geographically for coaches and other vehicles to stop here and it was a pleasure to meet visitors from or to Bournemouth as we did that morning, as Bournemouth is my second home. They seemed very pleased to have coffee with me and for me to give them a potted history of the town and where the shopping areas are.
Time always seems to go quickly and as I had another engagement at 2 p.m., I had to leave at 12.30 p.m. My thanks as usual go to Joyce Lewis and her helpers, and of course to my fellow councillors who give me great support.