Sunday, 23rd April 2017
This was very much a 'swansong' for me and my fellow Wiltshire Mayors as we are all coming to the end of our Mayoral Year. The Minster Church of St Denys was the venue and we met Warminster's new Town Clerk, Fiona Fox, who has only recently taken over the office. Today was, of course, St George's Day, something that was pointed out to us by the Revd. Jacques Desrosiers, himself a French Canadian, as he quizzed the congregation on their knowledge of our English Patron Saint. It was a special service and we were treated to some sublime singing courtesy of The Military Wives Choir, something of a coup on the part of the Mayor of Warminster, Councillor Paul MacFarlane. The final hymn, a rousing rendition of Jerusalem, was very fitting on St George's Day.
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Friday, 21st April 2017
Martin Crane OBE, Mayor of Hungerford and his wife, Virginia, are much to be admired as they have held the Office of Mayor and Mayoress for no less than 5 years all told. He is now stepping down at the end of this term and they were presented with some very smart garden tools which came with hints concerning an allotment! It was a particularly enjoyable evening for Susan and myself as we formerly lived at the Old Vicarage and managed to 'catch up' with former neighbours and many familiar faces from the past.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
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Wednesday, 19th April 2017
This is a great opportunity to view all types of artworks produced by local artists. The event is sponsored by David Dudley and he and his wife, Kim Vine, were there to welcome us to this private viewing and exhibition. Without sponsorship such as this, many artists would struggle to find recognition. There were so many lovely pieces and we did succumb to purchasing a picture!
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Saturday, 18th March 2017
Marlborough Choral Society and Devizes Chamber Choir joined forces under the direction of David Ripley for a delightful Spring Concert in St Mary's Church, Marlborough. The concert is to be repeated on 1st April in St Andrew's Church, Devizes should you wish to attend.
The evening began with an impressive rendition of Zadok the Priest, one of Handel's Coronation Anthems and a piece that most of us would recognise, very stirring! The second piece was the beautiful Gloria, composed by Vivaldi and featuring the Soprano, Emma Banham and Alto, Alice Simmons.
Finally, after the interval we were treated to a seldom performed piece by the more modern composer, John Rutter, as the choir sang Six Canticles of Creation, The Gift of Life.
The joining together of these two choirs proved to be an excellent and successful venture with their voices filling the Church.
My wife and I look forward to the next Choral Concert in June.
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Thursday, 16th March 2017
The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust provides home security for elderly, vulnerable and disadvantaged people throughout Wiltshire who have been the subject of burglary, harassment, house crime, domestic abuse or fire. I was pleased, on behalf of the Town Council, to present the Trust with a small cheque for this excellent mission chaired by Robert Hiscox. The Patron is HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.
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Tuesday, 14th March 2017
This is a regular Tuesday morning meeting with members at the Conservative Club and as President my wife and I attend when we can to speak to everyone and watch the various activities going on supervised by the excellent Sue Bailey and her husband David plus a few other volunteers.
These endearing people come from mainly Marlborough and outlying villages plus Devizes. We need more volunteers to come forward to help us with outings from Marlborough and this year we hope to go to Bristol Zoo and other events to keep our members happy and contented. Do please call Sue Bailey on 01672 514513 for further information.
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