Marlborough Town Council
Tel: 01672 512487 E-mail us 5 High Street, Marlborough, SN8 1AA Weekdays 10am-4pm
We aim to keep residents up to date on what is happening with the Town Council and news about local community groups and volunteers.
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Marlborough’s Citizen of the Year 2013 is Viv Lucas. She’s a very special lady and has spent many years working with Scout groups and in other voluntary roles in the community. A close runner-up was Janet Louth who has done so much for Savernake Hospital. Well done to them both.
80 soldiers of 45 Company, 4 Military Intelligence Battalion (4MI Bn) who have recently returned from a challenging and successful six month deployment in Afghanistan received their operational medals at a parade in historic Marlborough today (Thursday 28 November 2013).
They were joined by over 100 of their fellow soldiers from the Battalion and marched from Marlborough College into the High Street to be presented with their medals by The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), General Sir Nicholas Houghton GCB CBE ADC Gen The Colonel Commandant of the Intelligence Corps and the Mayor of Marlborough, Mr Guy Loosmore.
They were led in by The Band of the Grenadier Guards, one of the world’s premier military bands and The Battalion's adopted greyhound "Blue". 4 MI Bn also exercised its Freedom of Marlborough by marching with fixed bayonets and flags flying. This was granted to the battalion in June 2011 making it the first Army unit to have been awarded Marlborough’s Freedom of Entry since 1204.
4MI Bn as it is known today, was formed on 3 September 2001 but can trace its roots back to the D-Day landings of the Second World War. 4 MI Bn’s mission is to deliver intelligence and counter intelligence support to the Army. In Afghanistan, the Battalion provided vital information to the Chain of Command in order for tactical decisions to be made.
General Houghton addressed the troops saying:
“I think the links that exist at a local level in towns such as Marlborough and units of the Army and the Armed Forces are fundamental in helping those units when they deploy on operations and the knowledge that they have that close association and close support. ”
Major Jim Holl, the Officer Commanding the recently returned 45 Company said:
"What a day! The towns folk turned out in huge numbers. A huge and proud day for the battalion and great for my soldiers - just fantastic."
The parade was watched by both Marlborough Town Council dignitaries and families and friends, and hundreds of school children turned out to wave and cheer. The close ties between the town and the Battalion is underlined by the Battalion’s use of the greyhound as its emblem as illustrated in the Town’s coat of arms.
photo's courtesy of Cpl Daniel Wiepen RLC
Crown Copyright
What a wonderful night with so many coming along to watch the Christmas lights being expertly switched on by Emily Barnett of St Peter’s School. Emily was chosen from those school choirs performing in the Christmas Choir Competition at St Mary’s Church. All sang beautifully. After some wonderful musical entertainment on the steps of the Town Hall, the Mayor, his Mayoress and Father Christmas helped Emily to do her magic and turn on the lights for Christmas 2013.
Emily meets the Mayor
Emily Barnett switches on the lights
The public and any interested party are invited to attend an exhibition relating to a proposal for residential development on land off Rabley Wood View, Marlborough.
The event will be held at Marlborough Town Hall on Tuesday 29th October 2013 between 3.00pm and 8.00pm.
The site is the existing area of open space to the north of Rabley Wood View and lies within the limits of development of Marlborough. The site is owned by Wiltshire Council but the application is to be made by the Manton Estate.
The proposal is to develop the existing 1.7 hectare area of open space (owned by Wiltshire Council) for housing and provide a large replacement area of open space (14 hectares in size) in the form of a Country Park on the adjacent land which forms part of the Manton Estate.
The proposal is to submit an outline planning application for the residential development of the site. Whilst the application will be in outline form it will be supported by an indicative layout. Details of the scale and form of the proposed development will also be provided.
People who are interested are invited to call in at any time between the hours above to view the plans and discuss the proposal with the applicant’s agents. There will also be an opportunity to leave written comments should you wish to do so.
In due course a planning application will be submitted to Wiltshire Council when you will have a further chance to comment on the proposals.
See also online press coverage at Marlborough News Online
Recording Marlborough’s First World War Stories - November 9th and 10th 2013 at Marlborough Town Hall
Next year sees the centenary of the start of the First World War, an event that changed the world forever. Every family in Britain was affected to some degree and those living in Marlborough and the surrounding villages were no exception.
To mark the beginning of Marlborough’s preparations for the centenary an event is being organised for the weekend of 9th and 10th November between 10am – 4pm in the Town Hall. People living in Marlborough and surrounding villages are invited to come along and bring with them any photographs, objects, letters, diaries, mementos and stories/memories of the First World War. These will be digitally recorded - photographed and oral histories recorded – to create a local digital archive, which will form a permanent record of Marlborough in the First World War. It will also form the basis of exhibitions in the town over the four years of the centenary.
Everyone is welcome to come along – even if you have recently moved to the area . The First World War was a global event and we would like to hear from people whose families were living in other parts of the country or abroad, as well as those from the local area.
The event is planned to coincide with the Remembrance weekend and will include displays and stands from local people and organisations. It will showcase some of the events organised for next year and provide an opportunity for people to get involved.
Marlborough played an active role in the First World War. It was used to billet successive companies of soldiers and at times took on the appearance of a garrison town. It had a Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital run by local women (located in the Wesley Hall in Oxford Street) and its own detachment of the Volunteer Training Corps, which was similar in nature to the Home Guard of World War Two.
For more information, please contact marlboroughww1@hotmail.co.uk
Marlborough Town Council is looking to the public to provide the police with any information they may have following a break in at the Town Hall on Sunday, 13th October. Town Councillors are devastated that the town’s historic Town Mayor’s ceremonial chain dating back to 1911 donated to the Town by the then Borough Mayor, Thomas Free, to mark the Coronation of George V has been stolen. We are working closely with the police and welcome any information. The chain was securely locked away with other insignia in line with insurance requirements. Nothing else was taken.
The Town Mayor said: “This is a sad day. Something of such enormous significance to the people of Marlborough has been taken. Whilst important, its monetary value is nothing compared to what it means to the history and dignity of local people. I am just really grateful that no member of the public, Councillor or our own staff were injured.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously.
Our Town Mayor, Guy Loosmore married his Mayoress, Fiona Lawson, at St Mary’s Church on 10th August followed by a reception at the Town Hall. Councillor Loosmore now moves into the history books as the first Mayor of Marlborough to be married whilst in office. Congratulations to them both.
Following an Extraordinary Meeting of the Town Council on Wednesday, 26th June, we welcome Mervyn Hall (East Ward) and Alec Light (West Ward) to the team. Both bring lots of experience to the roles and are keen to work closely with the community. They were co-opted onto the Council from a strong field of 7 candidates and will serve until the next full elections in May 2017.
The Town Council was delighted that there was a such a keen interest in the vacancies and would like to thank our candidates, all of whom were of a very high calibre, for stepping forward for co-option.
At the Full Council Meeting of 20th May, Town Councillors discussed a proposal to install cycle racks along the side of the High Street. Though this issue is really a matter for Highways, Wiltshire Council quite rightly consulted with the Town Council before taking it forward. Unfortunately, the proposal was not brought to the attention of the Council until late on and Councillors did not have an opportunity to properly give their early input as would normally be the case.
For the sake of clarification, the Town Council would like to make clear that it fully supports the idea of facilities for cyclists in the High Street but feels that it is first worth looking at some alternatives to the original proposal. Councillors discussed how improvements could be made to the inadequate and old racks already in place, whether racks might be installed in paid parking spaces in the central area rather than in the limited free parking slots at the side and changes to signage to help direct cyclists. Also, the possibility of undertaking consultation and surveys to evidence the use of existing racks to help make sure any new ones are installed in the right place. An outcome of a broader, more thorough approach might, in fact, mean more or better facilities for cyclists and everyone else who uses our High Street.
The record of the meeting can be found by following this link
At his first Full Town Council meeting, our new Town Mayor, Councillor Guy Loosmore, presented his Mayoress and fiancée, Fiona Lawson, with her badge of office. While our Mayoress does not have an official or legal status, the national tradition and local custom is for the Town Mayor to have a consort to help navigate through his or her busy year ahead. Fiona will accompany our Mayor, Marlborough’s First Citizen, to official engagements helping to host various community events, promote Marlborough, attend award ceremonies, visit our schools as well as meeting British and foreign dignitaries to the town.
A priority for Fiona will be her work to help raise funds for the two charities chosen by the Mayor - locally based Marlborough and District Dyslexia Association and Hope for Tomorrow, which operates mobile chemotherapy units. This is entirely separate from the Town Council’s funds and money raised will be distributed to these charities at the end of the Mayoral year.
Fiona, a historian, is already heavily involved in voluntary work in the local community particularly around the Kennet Valley Arts Trust said: “It’ll be a busy year for Guy and I’m really looking forward to helping build up funds for these two worthwhile charities both bringing such important advice and help to local people.” Something else to fit in amongst official duties for 2013/14 will be the couple’s wedding in August.
Marlborough Town Council
