Mayor’s Viewpoint
As Mayor of Hyndburn, I have been fortunate to have a busy and rewarding month, with a number of events that have celebrated the area’s heritage and spirit of community.
On 27 November, Lancashire Day brought communities across the county together to celebrate the region’s rich history and culture. In Hyndburn, we marked the occasion with a variety of events, and I was delighted to be invited to proclamation events at Accrington Town Hall and Churchfield House in Great Harwood with the Town Cryer Rawden Kerr. The day was a fantastic opportunity to showcase all that is great about Lancashire, and I was delighted to see so many people from Hyndburn and beyond coming together to celebrate.
The festive season is well underway in Hyndburn, and the switch-on of Christmas lights in Great Harwood, Altham, Church, Oswaldtwistle and Baxenden were a great way to get into the spirit of the holidays. In Great Harwood I joined the local school choirs on stage, while in Baxenden, I was privileged to switch on the lights of my home town in my Mayoral year.
Elmfield Hall was transformed into a festive wonderland for the Artisan Christmas Market, which took place on the 14 December. The market featured a wide range of stalls selling Christmas gifts, hot mulled wine and festive treats and was topped off with Christmas Carols.
I was delighted to be able to provide free use of the Town Hall to St Andrew’s Primary School for their annual pantomime which I had the pleasure of watching last week. The production of Mary Poppins was a great success, and it was wonderful to see so many children taking part.
Throughout the month, I have been impressed by the strong sense of community spirit in Hyndburn. Whilst I cannot talk about every event in the detail they deserve, please do know that I am always genuinely honoured to be invited along to share these special moments with the community, never more so than at this time of year. We also have several more Christmas themed events to look forward to!
As a final thought, the Mayoress and I send our heartfelt wishes to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Marlene Haworth, and hope for a swift recovery after her recent ill health.
As this is my final Mayor’s Viewpoint before the end of the year, I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.