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I can hardly believe that we have reached Christmas and
the end of the year – the months have just flown by. I am sure that all
of you are immersed in preparations for the various celebrations of
Christmas and New Year, and are sinking under cards, wrapping paper and
lists, like me. One of the
lovely things about this time of year, as Mayor, is going to carol
concerts, and listening to (and sometimes taking part in) the festive
music. As you know, I work in a school, so we have been very busy with
Christmas Fetes, Concerts, parties and trips to the pantomime at the
Mercury. It is a very rewarding time of year when you are working with
small children, if a little bemusing.
The
following day I had a Christmas Lunch with the Over 60s, in the William
Loveless Hall. This was a very jolly occasion, with a lovely Christmas
Lunch, an amazing raffle with over 60 prizes, and a great sing song to
round things off. I also had the very difficult job of judging the
decorated hat competition – the wide variety of decorations made this a
very hard decision (I felt that all participants deserved a prize).
The carol
service at the Colne School had to be cancelled at the last minute because
of sickness amongst the participants – a common problem this time of
year, which gave me an evening to catch up on outstanding paper work – I
cannot understand how we manage to produce so much (my desk is always
disappearing under reports, letters and newsletters that have to be read,
digested, reported on at meetings, and acted upon). Glancing
through the local column in the Essex County Standard on Saturday morning,
I noted that there was to be a concert in the Congregational Church Hall
that afternoon of Flanders and Swann songs. As I had my mother staying for
the weekend, we decided to go. It was an extremely entertaining afternoon,
by two talented men, and was only slightly let down by the fact that there
were only about eight of us in the audience! We did not let that deter us,
however, from having a good time, culminating in singing Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer together (in Swedish!). The afternoon was raising funds
for charity, and it was sad that so few people turned up. Monday 15th
was the last Full Council Meeting of the year, so I invited members to
join us for a festive drink at home. One of the pleasures of being Mayor
is that it gives me these opportunities to thank all those who work
quietly throughout the year, to help to make Wivenhoe such a lovely place
to live. Fortunately
the Colne School were able to go ahead with their Christmas Concert on
16th, and I met up with the Mayor of Brightlingsea and the new Deputy and
his wife. It was a very enjoyable evening, with a wide variety of music
and readings on the programme – we have some very talented youngsters in
our midst, and some very dedicated teachers! I rounded
off the month with the Carol Service at the Congregational Church on
Friday evening, where there was a full church, some very talented
musicians and singers, and an active audience. Patrick Baxter introduced
variety into the carols by getting the various sections in the audience to
sing different verses, and by getting us to stand up for most of the
singing – a very energetic occasion as there were a lot of carols! This
was followed by mulled wine and mince pies in the hall. The collection was
going to the ‘Buy a Cow’ charity – a very worthwhile cause. I am still
collecting used stamps for the Meningitis Trust – please drop them in to
the Council Office in the New Year (which will re-open on 5th January). My family
and I wish you and yours a very happy Christmas and healthy New Year. Gilli
Primrose |
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The
major event of December for me was on December 4th, when I got to ride on
Santa’s sleigh down the High Street to St Mary’s Church, where I
switched on the Christmas lights. This was the most amazing evening, with
the town packed with people. The church was so full, I had difficulty
getting around all the stalls, and was quite relieved to get outside
again. Having said that, the atmosphere was incredible – everyone
appeared to be in a very festive mood, moving from shop to shop. Each shop
seemed to manage to put on something special for the occasion, and I was
quite bowled over by the concert taking place at Mike Rollo’s – where
that man gets all his energy from I do not know! Unfortunately, I was
unable to get a photo of me riding the sleigh – so if anyone has one, I
would be grateful for a copy for the scrap book. Once again, all
Bonnie’s prayers for fine weather were successful, and everyone was able
to appreciate the really splendid job done by her Team at St Mary’s and
the Lighting Team. I don’t think there is another Town in the country
who can have put on a better display. Each year they manage to surpass
themselves – and these are all volunteers who put in a lot of work
throughout the year to give us such a wonderful show – many, many thanks
from us all.
On
Sunday 7th, we welcomed the Old Rope String Band back to Wivenhoe, for an
evening’s entertainment that was quite unique. They played to a full
house with a verve and vigour that belied the fact that they were on their
way home from a two week tour in France. For those who had seen them
last year, there were sufficient new items in the act to surprise and
delight; and for those who were seeing them for the first time there was
an evening of laughter and thrills. Where else could one see a man (in a
kilt) playing an accordion, whilst upside down (with his head in an
aquarium full of water)? As you can probably tell, this was an evening of
fun and slapstick, rather than high culture – but one of the most
entertaining evenings I have spent. We look forward to welcoming more from
Essex on Tour next year.