Paying tribute to town’s amazing volunteers

Councillor Terri Welch, Mayor of Melksham

Another year and once again our town is bedecked with our great Christmas lights. It amazes me to see the hours that are given voluntarily to give us this wonderful show, year after year. Many thanks to the Christmas lights team, we do appreciate your work.

On the theme of volunteers, we must thank the Town Tidy teams that meet every month, first Sunday, 1pm, to do all the jobs that nobody else does; litter picking, clearing rubbish, deadheading flowers, cutting back overgrown foliage, all to make our town look loved and cared for. But we would love to see new people join the teams. The lights team really does need new, and younger people to help out. Apart from Rhys everybody is over 50 – well, the majority are – they give up every Sunday in November to brighten our town, so please consider whether  you could join them. They are loved by us all.

January sees the first sign that we might actually get a campus, when work on the Market Place begins. It will mean traffic disruption as work progresses but the result will be worthwhile.

It would be good to be able to give a positive account of the rest of the campus, but as yet the design has not been finalised. The town council is still hoping to be able to transfer the Assembly Hall to the site, but this will depend on agreement being reached between Wiltshire and Melksham councils. The staff and councillors are excited with the thought of being able to provide Melksham with a first class venue for the future.

We have seen some excellent shows of national standards at the Assembly Hall, all being very well attended, and an example of this is the show in June by Joel Dommett which has already sold out.

Our town is still growing rapidly and we welcome all incomers to our community – join in and enjoy. The town centre has also seen change, with Greggs and Grounded, and the advent of more small shops selling bric-a-brac, making it a good place to browse and enjoy a coffee.

Young people are also benefitting from expanding clubs and activities, Young Melksham are now welcoming 150+ young people to the Canberra Centre on Spa Road each week, and the numbers are growing monthly.

The Sports Roadshow, organised by the town council, takes place each summer in the park on two mornings a week, when bouncy castles and lots of other activities are offered and enjoyed. In 2017 this will be expanded, so if your children haven’t been, they are missing a great opportunity.

We have all heard about the cuts that have to be made by county councils and Wiltshire has to take its share. Grass cutting, toilet provision, litter picking have all been hit, and no doubt more cuts will come. But the town council is trying to take up some of these services, and the toilets are an example of Melksham Town and Melksham Without councils working together to serve our electors.

Next year the town council will be putting more money in its budget to enhance services. We are able to do this because the solar farm at the bottom of Sandridge Hill is giving local councils money to use for the benefit of their communities. All these plans will be explained when town council sets its budget in the New Year.

Partnership working is the way forward and I, for one, will be delighted to see a new path going across the grass between Tower Road and Devonshire Place. This will give a safe walking route from Eastern Way, via Snarlton Lane and the new path, behind the school, Ingram Road, Tower Road, Devonshire Place, Hampshire Place, and across the brook to Ruskin Avenue and the Manor School. I have waited over 30 years for this path!

Again, this year our town has bloomed and was awarded Silver Gilt in the South West in Bloom competition. A few more points and next year we will win gold! This was gained by the Bloom in Melksham group; more volunteers who work for our town.

As the Christmas period approaches we think of friends and family and those less fortunate.

So, may I wish everybody who lives and works in our town a happy and Holy Christmas and New Year.

Councillor Terri Welch, Mayor of Melksham