New Town Mayor for 2010 - 2011
At Loughton Town Council’s annual meeting on 12 May, Cllr Ken Angold-Stephens handed over the Town Mayor’s chain to the newly elected mayor, Cllr David Wixley.
Cllr Angold-Stephens, the outgoing mayor, thanked councillors and officers for their support during his term of office. He referred to the team effort which helped ensure the success of numerous council events this year including the Annual Civic Service and the inaugural Mayor’s Fun Run held on the Roding Valley Recreation Ground, which raised over £640 for the Dream Factory charity.
Councillors thanked Cllr Angold-Stephens for his hard work over the past year and the diligence and integrity he had shown in carrying out his duties.
Cllr Wixley described his new role as a great honour particularly as he has lived in Loughton since 1949. David, who is also a district councillor, joined the town council in 2004 and has served as Chairman of the Recreation Committee and the Planning and Licensing Committee during this time and is looking forward to representing the town and its council in the year ahead.
Cllr Caroline Pond, former Chairman of Epping Forest District Council will serve as David’s deputy.
Mayor's Charity Fun Run
The inaugural Town Mayor’s charity event, held in aid of The Dream Factory, was hailed a great success. The perfect April spring weather saw over 60 runners and walkers complete the 4km fun run route around the Roding Valley Recreation Ground. Cllrs Stephen Pewsey, Stephen Murray and David Wixley supported Town Mayor, Ken Angold-Stephens, by taking part in this new venture. All participants were presented with a medal by the town mayor.
The run was started by television, theatre and film actress Lisa Nash, who was joined by Colin ‘Sweet C’ McMillan, the former British, Commonwealth and World featherweight champion and patron of the charity.
The council appreciates the support of a number of local organisations including Epping Forest College, Essex Police, Loughton Athletic Club, 2324 (Chigwell) Squadron, Air Training Corps, and the Chigwell & Epping Forest Orienteering Club, who helped make this event possible.
Over £640 was raised for The Dream Factory, a locally based charity set up by Avril Mills from Epping to brighten the lives and encourage hope for children and young adults who have either life limiting or life threatening conditions or who suffer from severe disabilities. Avril lost her son, Oliver, to leukemia in 1999.
Treats arranged for children vary widely and include wishes such as trips to meet their favourite celebrities, a makeover for their bedroom and the purchase of a new electric guitar.
For more information and to continue supporting this worthy charity visit www.yourdreamfactory.org
Assistant to Services Manager
Debbie Taylor joined the town council in February as assistant to the Services Manager, Paul Hoy. Coming from a human resources background, she looks forward to the new challenge of learning all about working for a local council.
Living in Chigwell, Debbie is already familiar with the area and a regular visitor to the Roding Valley Recreation Ground in her leisure time.
She finds her new role very interesting. One of her first projects was assisting with the organisation of the town council’s first ever family fun run, so she already feels she is making a contribution to the local community.
Allotment Competition
The town council is pleased to announce that Ken Crowther, of Crowther Landscapes and the BBC radio show ‘Gardening with Ken’, has agreed to judge this year’s Best Allotment in Loughton. Judging will take place during July and all allotment holders at the Loughton Potato Ground and the Roding and Willingale Road sites are invited to take part. The winner will be presented with an engraved trophy and a £25 gardening voucher. Last year’s winner was Rosie Partridge from the Potato Ground.
Flower Baskets
Are you interested in sponsoring a flower basket? Plans are underway to extend the current scheme in the High Road to the Broadway where new hanging baskets will be erected on the lamp columns following the completion of the enhancement. Please contact the town council for more information on 020 8508 4200.
Awards Granted
At a meeting in in February, the town council granted just over £16,500 to local organisations to help fund events and projects. First time applicants were the Noah’s Ark Toddler Groups who requested funding to buy lightweight folding tables and craft supplies for their pre-school groups at Oakwood Hill and Debden. The council was keen to grant £500 towards this important activity for young children. The Loughton Broadway Town Centre Partnership received a grant of £1,050 to provide carvery lunches for local senior citizens at the Debden Day event on Saturday 29 May.
The largest grants of £5,000 each were awarded to the Citizens Advice Bureau Loughton Branch to help maintain its services for local residents, and to the Loughton Youth Project to help develop the services offered by the centre, which is located adjacent to Loughton Library. Kidz Club received £800 for equipment and supplies and £600 to support its summer camp.
Additional grants went to various locally based community groups: Vitalise, £498 to provide care breaks for disabled people; Loughton Potato Ground, £907 for skips and equipment; Epping Forest Youth for Christ, £500; ignite £425; Loughton Festival £500 and Shiners Football Club and South Loughton Cricket Club £400 for equipment.
There is still some funding remaining in the 2010/11 budget, so if your organisation needs help with a project or event, complete an application form available here or collect one from our offices in Rectory Lane.
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