Melksham Town Council 2013 review

2013 has been a busy year for Melksham Town Council, full of community events and civic occasions, and some new challenges and changes. 

Our excellent community facility of the assembly hall started off the 2013 Live at Melksham line up with Shappi Khorsandi as the first comedian in March. Simon Evans, Josh Widdicombe and Andy Parsons followed, and celebrities including Dick Strawbridge, Matt Le Tissier and Derek Acorah entertained crowds at the assembly hall. Screenings of live events from theatres around the world continued, with performances of Swan Lake, Carmen, The Audience and Andre Rieu showing right in Melksham.

On 2nd May new councils were elected for Melksham.  The town council saw the arrival of nine new faces in the council of 15 while councillor Chris Petty was elected town mayor for a second year.

Summer had really kicked off by July. Melksham Music Festival, organised by Tom Sangster, provided two weeks of music events and performances around Melksham, concluding in the very well attended Party in the Park, complete with live entertainment, parachute displays and fireworks. Melksham Carnival paraded a feast of colour and sound through the town.

Melksham’s flowers blossomed in the sun, and there were many entries into the local Melksham in Bloom competition, with 14 categories of prizes. Mr Bruce Petty was the overall winner with his fantastic garden full of flowers, and the Bear Pub won best commercial premises for a second year.

Volunteers took to the streets with high vis jackets, gloves and litter pickers, preparing the town for South West in Bloom judging. On 9th July  Melksham looked stunning, with businesses, schools, councils, residents and groups all working together to show off the town to the judges who were immensely impressed with the voluntary involvement, cleanliness and community pride in Melksham. Thanks to some excellent support from Wiltshire Council, the Town Team and volunteers, Melksham was the proud recipient of a Silver Award.

After years of work by Vic Oakman and many volunteers, the Forest Community Centre held its grand opening in the Awdry Avenue Playing Field.  Hayley Spencer and the team of ‘Brians’ welcomed writers, artists and exhibitors to Melksham Comic Con for a massively successful day of Comic Book and Sci Fi culture.

The fifth Melksham Food and Drink Festival took place in September with a week of delicious events in and around Melksham culminating in the Festival Fair which attracted around 2,000 people to its many stalls and activities.

In the autumn the town council turned to the community groups, and hosted its annual Grants presentation evening. 42 groups received funding from Melksham Town Council, towards projects including camping equipment for scouts; a loop system for elderly people; and advising, counselling, and caring for vulnerable people in the community.

November also saw the second annual Young People’s Awards hosted by Extended Services and Melksham Town Council. An inspiring and heart-warming evening was spent recognising and celebrating the achievements of many young people who take on great challenges, overcome difficulties, and contribute immensely to their community.

The Christmas Fayre at the assembly hall was another packed out event, followed by the much anticipated switching on of the Melksham Christmas Lights. Around 3,000 people gathered for the spectacular display amid fireworks, music and ‘snow’, and the weeks of work put in by the voluntary Melksham Christmas Lights group were enjoyed and applauded by people from miles around.

The voluntary dedication continued at Christmas, with the Core Church’s annual Christmas Dinner provided free for people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day.

In 2013 we said a few goodbyes in the town centre, and welcomed the new businesses of Edwards Stationery, Thorntons, Ink’d, Fine Barber, Grylls Adams, Griffs Barbershop, Dragon Delight, LA Diner, Beautique and Costa, as well as the expansion of Hatto’s on Lowbourne.

As well as a year full of excellent events, fantastic celebrities and huge contributions from the town’s community minded people. After years of campaigning by the Rail Development Group, Melksham’s train service has finally grown from two to eight trains a day. Direct to Trowbridge, Swindon and Chippenham, with easy connections to London, Bristol and beyond, the accessibility and frequency of trains through Melksham is a huge boost to the town.

There is much to look forward to in 2014. The calendar of excellent Melksham highlights – including the annual Melksham Music Festival, Party in the Park, Carnival, Melksham in Bloom, Melksham Comic Con and the Food and Drink Festival – is complemented by some new and exciting events this year. ‘Opportunity Melksham’, a jobs fair hosted by Extended Services, will take place on 15th March. The Town Criers’ Competition joins with the Lions Club’s 40th celebrations on 31st May at the town hall and a River Festival will take place on 6th and 7th September in King George V Park. Events to commemorate the centenary of the Great War will also start in 2014, continuing for the four years until 2018.

More change is to come as the proposed move of the Post Office is planned for March, and building work is set to begin on the new Melksham Campus in the summer.

The town council and Wiltshire Council continue to work well together, enhancing and maintaining the open spaces and play areas, and providing magnificent floral displays throughout the town. The wording on the Melksham Town Crest is ‘Unity and Progress,’ and by working with the many groups, volunteers, business, schools and individuals who give so much to the community, the council continues to invest in Melksham, raising the profile of this fantastic friendly town, and working to keep it a great place to visit, work and live.