A celebration of community spirit at annual town meeting

THE community came together recently for the annual town meeting that was held on Monday 25th March at Melksham Town Hall. 

Updates were received from sergeant Gemma Rutter from the Melksham Town Neighbourhood Policing Team about their community commitment plan and from councillors Jack Oatley, Tom Price and Saffi Rabey, on council committee meetings and their additional responsibilities within Melksham and the wider Wiltshire area.  

Presentations were received from the Wiltshire Branch of The British Cactus & Succulent Society, Cats Action Trust North & West Wiltshire, Melksham Food and River Festival, Melksham Gardeners’ Society, Melksham Lions Club, Melksham Remembers/Melksham and District Historical Association and Wessex Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre.  

“Following some excellent refreshments provided by Jack’s Kitchen, community groups that had previously been recipients of town council grants, expressed their gratitude to Melksham Town Council for providing this additional funding, which has helped facilitate their various community projects and events,” says a town council spokesperson.  

In his opening address, Melksham’s mayor, cllr Simon Crundell, who is coming up to the end of his term as mayor, expressed appreciation to the “dedicated and passionate” councillors, officers and volunteers for the “enormous amount of planning, coordination, and hard work” they put into delivering a wide variety of popular events in Melksham, such as the King’s Coronation and the Christmas market and the Christmas lights switch on.  

He also praised the town council’s amenities team, his fellow councillors and Melksham’s private sector partners for contributing to some excellent new developments in town, such as the installation of new lighting and CCTV in King George V Park and the new park venture, Jack’s Kitchen.  

Cllr Crundell also confirmed that the town council “has started work on the deployment of a network of CCTV all over the town centre, to further deter crime and to support the police in evidence gathering.” 

He highlighted the joint Melksham Neighbourhood Plan as “a colossal undertaking, a testament to the immense effort of our Neighbourhood Planning Team, composed of councillors and residents alike.”  

He also thanked them for their hard work and dedication in collecting an “abundance of feedback from the heart of the community,” which can now be used to shape future infrastructure and projects such as the Town Centre Masterplan, a refurbishment programme for the town’s playgrounds and recreational areas and putting a second Joint Neighbourhood Plan to the town in a referendum.  

In concluding his address, the Town Mayor thanked all Melksham Town residents, councillors, officers, volunteers and community groups for their “unwavering commitment and hard work” in their “efforts to build a better, more sustainable future for our town.”  

The town council spokesperson said, “Melksham Town Council extends its heartfelt gratitude to all residents, organisations and community groups who attended.”