Issue 172 December 2017 Town Hall, Towcester

The Town Mayor, Cllr Sharon McMurray andmembers of the Town Council wish you all

A Very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

Photographs courtesy of Mr Nick Holder

TowcesterTown CrierTowcesterTown Crier

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A Word from the Town Mayor Welcome to my third editorial as Mayor of Towcester. With the sounds of Christmas now upon us I am pleased to share with you some late summer events and some festive activity at this time of year.

I was pleased to invite my three charities to the September meeting of the Full Council at the Town Hall. I handed over three cheques, each for 1,000 to Pat and Ron (Towcester Gateway Mencap Group), Miriama (The Alzheimers Society) and Nick and John (Towcester Neighbourhood Watch). I am looking forward to May next year when I hand over the balance of the monies raised to my three charities.

The annual golf day in support of the Mayors charities was held on Thursday, September 23rd at Silverstone Golf Club and raised and impressive 568. My thanks go to Charlie Stanger for successfully organising this event once again. Thank you also to the Towcester Waitrose store for including the Mayors charities in its Community Matters scheme this year. My three charities will collectively benefit by 205. I was invited to open the Towcester WI Chocolate Affair in early November and, as the owner of Tea Shop; I was impressed by both the quality of the cakes on show and also the great use of the Sawpits, a wonderful new venue for the people of our town.

I have been made aware more recently of the invaluable work of the Towcester charity TADD (Towcester Area Door to Door) which provides a voluntary car service. This involves transporting residents from Towcester and its surrounding villages to and from their medically-related appointments. The charity is in need of volunteer drivers in order to continue this valuable service. This role is fully flexible and costs are reimbursed. If you are interested in offering your services, please contact Keith Rippon on 01327 810300.

As featured in this edition of the Crier, my end of year charity ball will be held at The Pavilion, Whittlebury Hall on Saturday, 28th April. Ticket sales are going well and I would encourage you to contact me on 07792 189022 or pop into the Towcester Tea Rooms to secure your place if you wish to attend. A welcome drink on arrival will be followed by a 3-course dinner, tea/coffee & mints and entertainment including Alvin the ultimate Elvis Tribute and 2tone, the Soul & Motown Party. With this event I am planning for a grand end of year celebration that will add further funds to our fundraising total.

A final mention goes to a special event being held on Saturday, 9th December in Towcester. The Alzheimers Society holds a Carols at Christmas event in most counties across the country. This year, in conjunction with my choice of charity, they have moved the Northants venue from All Saints Church in Northampton to St. Lawrence Church in Towcester. There is a full programme of carols, and guest singers include a number from the local area. Adult tickets are 10 and children can attend for 6, these can either be purchased online or on the night.

On behalf of Towcester Town Council, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Cllr Sharon McMurray Town Mayor of Towcester

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.

Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Cllr Sharon McMurray with Ron and Pat Hallfrom the Towcester Gateway Mencap Group

A Word from the Town Mayor

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TOWCESTER MUSEUM

The volunteers and trustees of Towcester Museum warmly invite you to our magical

Victorian-themed Christmas celebration, which will be held on Saturday, 9th December from 10am - 4pm.

Entry to the Victorian Christmas as well as The Towcester Story and the Old Railway Exhibition will be FREE all day!

You will be merrily welcomed into the museum by the wonderful Towcester Studio Band who will be playing Christmas carols. The museum will be decorated traditionally and our

volunteers dressed beautifully in period costume, so that you can experience the charm of a Victorian Christmas.

We will be serving mulled wine, wassail punch and our locally brewed heritage ales as well as a selection of festive treats, including mince pies, sugar plums and our Christmas fudge.

Our strict headmistress will be running a craft workshop for children to make Victorian-style Christmas crackers or tree decorations in our Victorian classroom, complete with chalkboards and authentic finger stocks.

Christmas soaps and candles made using Victorian methods as well interesting books, yummy treats and childrens gifts will be available to buy from our shop, so that you can find the perfect Christmas present.

Towcester Goes to War Temporary Exhibition Opening in 2018 Towcester Museum will be staging an informative and respectful temporary exhibition to

commemorate World War One, the impact it had on Towcester and the towns inspirational local heroes.

Interested in Volunteering? Towcester Museum is currently welcoming new volunteers to join our friendly and

dedicated team. We tailor each role to the individual and their aspirations. For more information please see towcestermuseum.co.uk, call on 01327 352662 or visit us

at White Horse Yard, 163-165 Watling St, Towcester NN12 6BU.

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Rotary Young Musician Competition Local Heats 2018 The Rotary Club of Towcester will be running its annual Young Musician competition on Sunday January 21st 2018. Any young person from the area is entitled to join in and entry forms and rules are available by contacting: andrealord@towcester-rotary.org.uk or they can be downloaded from the web site at: http://www.towcester-rotary.org.uk/rotary-young-musician-competition-2018-local-heat/ There are three age groups:

1. Up to 10 years of age - Junior 2. From 11 to 13 years of age Intermediate 3. From 14 - 17 years of age Senior

Participants ages are taken from 31st August 2017. Anyone taking part can either play an instrument or use their voice. The categories are:

1. Instruments: a. Solo b. Ensemble (2 to 5 students) c. Group of Musicians (6 students and over)

2. Voice a. Solo b. Ensemble (2 to 5 students) c. Choir (6 students and over)

We are delighted that some of our local schools will be officially entering some of their students for this competition, so parents may want to check with their schools whether they will be partaking if not and their child/children would like to take part, then you can apply via Andrea Lord as noted above. Alternatively, you can download the Entry Form and Rules from our website: http://www.towcester-rotary.org.uk/the-rotary-club-of-towcester-young-musician-competition-2018/ Please note that the closing date for the local heat is Tuesday, 12th December 2017. The Young Musician competition is just one of the many Youth Competitions that Rotary run. It is a perfect platform for gaining recognition through a well-established local and district competition and also a great opportunity to compete on a national level. Winners of the local heat will be put forward to the 1070 District competition. All fees will be paid by the Rotary Club of Towcester. The District semi- finals will be held the weekend of March 4th 2018 and the District finals will be the weekend of 18th March 2018. The Rotary Club of Towcester meets weekly at the Saracens head and is always delighted to welcome new members. Please contact: secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk for more information.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE TOWN A Date for your Diary

The next Annual Meeting of the Town will take place on Monday, 5th March 2018 in Towcester Town Hall at 7:30pm.

This meeting is an opportunity for residents to address the Town Council with any concerns they may have on matters relating to Towcester.

Rotary Young Musician Competition Local Heats 2018 The Rotary Club of Towcester will be running its annual Young Musician competition on Sunday January 21st 2018. Any young person from the area is entitled to join in and entry forms and rules are available by contacting: andrealord@towcester-rotary.org.uk or they can be downloaded from the web site at: http://www.towcester-rotary.org.uk/rotary-young-musician-competition-2018-local-heat/ There are three age groups:

1. Up to 10 years of age - Junior 2. From 11 to 13 years of age Intermediate 3. From 14 - 17 years of age Senior

Participants ages are taken from 31st August 2017. Anyone taking part can either play an instrument or use their voice. The categories are:

1. Instruments: a. Solo b. Ensemble (2 to 5 students) c. Group of Musicians (6 students and over)

2. Voice a. Solo b. Ensemble (2 to 5 students) c. Choir (6 students and over)

We are delighted that some of our local schools will be officially entering some of their students for this competition, so parents may want to check with their schools whether they will be partaking if not and their child/children would like to take part, then you can apply via Andrea Lord as noted above. Alternatively, you can download the Entry Form and Rules from our website: http://www.towcester-rotary.org.uk/the-rotary-club-of-towcester-young-musician-competition-2018/ Please note that the closing date for the local heat is Tuesday, 12th December 2017. The Young Musician competition is jus