What have the Town Council been doing?

We started with the distribution of our 3^rd Newsletter ‘Well Informed’.

As well as listing many events in the town being organised by the Town Council and other organisations and groups in the town, in this edition we celebrated our first year as a Town Council. The Leader of the Council wrote about all the great things that we had achieved over the last year and the Mayor shared her experiences and visits as the first Town Mayor of Wellingborough.

The next edition is coming out in September. If anyone would like any events or news articles to be in the next issue, please send details to deputyclerk@wellingboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk by 31^st August.

On May 4^th, we had our first Annual Town Meeting.

This is a meeting of the Town and we were delighted that Kevin Johnston from the Victoria Centre, Myrle Roach from Made with Many and Caroline Prior from Teamwork Trust were able to join us and tell all in attendance of the amazing things they have achieved over the past year and their plans for the upcoming year.

Councillor Lora Lawman was thrilled to be able to present Teamwork trust with a cheque for £1,677. 70, money she had raised during her term as the Town Mayor of Wellingborough 2021-22. Councillor Lawman had held a Civic Service, Gala Dinner and a Quiz Night, and along with other kind donations, had achieved this amazing amount during her term.

At this meeting Councillor Lora Lawman was delighted to be able to present our first Honorary Freewoman Award to Anita Neil.

Anita is a Wellingborough born British international sprinter and the first black woman to represent Great Britain at the games. She broke world records, collected three bronze medals at the 1969 European Championships, a silver medal at the 1970 Commonwealth Games and competed in the 1968 Mexico and 1972 Munich Olympics before retiring. Anita was honored to accept the title and happily held up her scroll for all to see.

Anita and her family present were delighted and thanked the Council for the recognition.

On 18^th May at our Annual Town Council Meeting, Councillor Lora Lawman handed over the Robes and Mayoral chain to the newly elected Mayor for 2022-2023, Councillor Jonathan Ekins. She thanked everyone for their support and the staff for their assistance in organising the events that she held which raised the £1,677.70 for her chosen charity of the year, Teamwork Trust.

Councillor Ekins was honored to take on the role of Mayor for the civic year of 2022-2023 and will be holding several charity fund-raising events for his chosen charities Croyland and Highfields Nursery and Stand Out Northampton.

Following on from his election, Councillor Valerie Anslow was elected the New Deputy Mayor of Wellingborough Town Council 2022-2023.

As a thank you to Councillor Lora Lawman for all she has accomplished, she was presented with a tree from the Wellingborough Eco Group.

The town was a buzz between 18^th and 21^st May when the Town Council organised a Continental Market. Market Street was jam packed with many stalls ranging from cakes and biscuits to garden ornaments and jewellery to slushy drinks and culinary delights.

It was positively received by the residents and businesses in the town and finished on the Saturday with a visit from an excited mouse and mysterious superhero.

Comments received include “Lovely, colourful and lively market. An amazing atmosphere in the town centre all this week. Thank you for organising this event” and “Nice to see so many families in town exploring the great food options. Why don’t we have it more often”.

We continue to promote our two Apps that are free to download from your app provider.

The Wellingborough Town App that gives information on events and news in the town along with our Business Directory showcasing the various businesses in the Town.

And the Wellingborough Town Trails app that has a fun guided walk through the Town Centre for all ages to reveal some of the influences from past eras and architecture that have been left behind.

Search for Wellingborough Town Council on your app provider and download them today.

To have your event or business included in our app please email deputyclerk@wellingboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk for further information.

We start of June with celebrations being held for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend.

From 2^nd to 5^th June various events and activities will be happening all over the country to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II becoming the first British monarch to reach 70 years of service.

The extended bank holiday provides an opportunity for communities across the United Kingdom to mark the occasion.

There are many street closures in place for street parties and many community groups and centres holding various events in the Town.

The Town Council is holding a Big Lunch event on Sunday 5^th June from 12pm at Croyland Park. Come along with your picnic to the free event, wearing red, white and blue if you like, see the best dressed dachshund, and enjoy the entertainment. Why not make a Jubilee Hat and bring it along to enter our competition and win some great prizes?

We are also working closely with the Wellingborough District Royal British Legion and together we are holding an Armed Forces Family Fun Day on Saturday 25th June in Bassetts Close Park from 10am to 4pm. There will be live music, a fly past by Sloane Helicopters, fair ground and inflatables.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Town Council are a community focused Council, striving to make Wellingborough a better place to live, work and play. We currently do not own any buildings, land or provide any services; however, we are gathering information on local community groups, organisations, charities, meetings and activities that are in the Town.

Our ambition is to support the various groups within the town, help promote and publicise them, their news and events via our webpage, app and social media, and spread the word further and make more residents aware of what help, support, and activities there are out there for them.

New this year is our community grant that is available to apply for. It’s open to all non-profit organisations and is designed to support new projects and events in the town. The maximum grant awarded is £1000. For further information please visit our website for the terms and application form.

If you run any groups or are a part of any organisation it would be great to meet up and get to know you and what you do. Please contact Joanne via email: deputyclerk@wellingboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01933 832 823 between 09:30 and 14:30 Monday to Friday for further information.

And lastly, we have a Community Award Scheme coming up to recognise and celebrate remarkable individuals, groups and volunteers that have made an exceptional contribution and difference to the Town of Wellingborough.

To recognise a range of fantastic people who live and work in the town, there are six categories to nominate from. Nominations can be made by any person who has links with Wellingborough, and they must be submitted to the Town Clerk using the application form.

Nominations can be submitted up until December 2022 and are considered by our Finance and Governance Committee.

There are many outstanding people in Wellingborough, and we would be delighted to be able to give them the recognition that they deserve.

Get thinking and we look forward to receiving nominations soon.