A NEW community event will be launched next year by the Town Council to replace the civic service.
The event will be a celebration of the community, which the council say will be an inclusive event for all groups, faiths and ages within the town.
In recent years, the town council has organised an annual civic service held at St Michael’s Church, Canon Square. Last year the council admitted that the service needed a rethink, due to town council staff putting in a lot of work to organise the event, for very little response from the town.
At last week’s annual council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to proceed with plans for the new ‘community celebration’.
“In terms of the own council organised civic service,” said newly-elected mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard, “the working party has recommended that we should move away from having a single-faith religious service and to move to having a more inclusive community celebration. That includes people who aren’t of any faith, as well as those who are of other faiths.”
Welcoming the proposal, cllr Martin Pain said, “I think this is a fantastic opportunity to show this town that everybody is a member, everybody is included, and everybody has equal opportunity to take part in everything that goes on in the town.”
It was agreed at the meeting that the town council working party will now work together to produce a detailed proposal for the event.
A civic service will not be organised by the town council this year, but the council has said that St Michael’s Church is welcome to host its own event.
Cllr Hubbard said, “If St Michael’s continues to have an annual civic service, there is no reason why St Michael’s should not be able to invite councillors and the mayor – but it would not be a town council organised, or sponsored event.”
