**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Melksham’s Annual Town Meeting: A Celebration of Community Spirit**

Melksham Town Council extends its heartfelt gratitude to all residents, organisations and community groups who attended the Annual Town Meeting held on Monday 25th March 2024 at Melksham Town Hall.

As Councillor Simon Crundell’s term as Town Mayor draws to a close, the event provided a poignant occasion to honour the diverse range of individuals and activities that embody the essence of Melksham Town’s thriving and inclusive community.

Updates were received from Sergeant Rutter from the Melksham Town Neighbourhood Policing Team on their Community Commitment plan, and from Councillors Oatley, Price and Rabey on Council Committee meetings and their additional responsibilities within Melksham and the wider Wiltshire area.

Following some excellent refreshments provided by Evie’s Kitchen, community groups who had previously been recipients of Town Council grants, expressed their gratitude to Melksham Town Council for providing this additional funding which has helped facilitate their various community projects and events.

Presentations were received from the Wiltshire Branch of The British Cactus & Succulent Society, Cats Action Trust North & West Wiltshire, Melksham Food & River Festival, Melksham Gardener’s Society, Melksham Lions, Melksham Remembers/Melksham & District Historical Association and Wessex Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre.

In his opening address, Councillor Crundell expressed appreciation to the “dedicated and passionate” councillors, officers and volunteers for the “enormous amount of planning, coordination, and hard work” they put in to delivering a wide variety of popular events in Melksham such as the King’s Coronation and the Christmas Market & Lights Switch On.

He also praised the Town Council Amenities Team, his fellow councillors and Melksham’s private sector partners for contributing to some excellent new developments in the town such as the installation of new lighting and CCTV in King George V Playing Fields, and the freshly refurbished Evie’s Kitchen.

Councillor Crundell also confirmed that the Town Council “has started work on the deployment of a network of CCTV all over the Town Centre, to further deter crime and to support the police in evidence gathering.”

The Town Mayor also highlighted The Joint Melksham Neighbourhood Plan as “a colossal undertaking, a testament to the immense effort of our Neighbourhood Planning Team, composed of councillors and residents alike.” He thanked them for their hard work and dedication in collecting an “abundance of feedback from the heart of the community”, which can now be used to shape future infrastructure and projects such as the Town Centre Masterplan, a refurbishment programme for the town’s playgrounds and recreational areas and putting a second Joint Neighbourhood Plan to the town in a referendum.

In concluding his address, the Town Mayor thanked all Melksham Town residents, councillors, officers, volunteers and community groups for their “unwavering commitment and hard work” in their “efforts to build a better, more sustainable future for our town.”

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