“Wonderful” second month for mayor with school awards night and community events aplenty

We are fully into summer! All the schools have closed for the holidays, Beccles is basking in unusually dry and hot weather and the Lido is looking very tempting!

My second month as mayor of Beccles has been wonderful. So many things have happened but the highlight for me was presenting certificates at the John Leman academic awards evening. A school and a town council are both immersed in their community, and as a parent with a child at the school and a member of the council it felt very emotional to look out across the room of proud faces.

Many of the children I have watched grow up with my own, and I have precious memories attending church playgroups and sports days together. Another reminder that Beccles is a special and close-knit community.

The end of June and the beginning of July kicked off with two very special events, one was the Hospital Fete, a wonderful opportunity to support Beccles hospital which has a unique history caring for people within the parish. A hospital in some form has stood on the site since the 1300s, such continuity over thousands of years shows that some things change slowly!

At Charter Weekend I was delighted to participate in the mayors’ water bicycle race. The bicycles themselves were loaned from Hippersons Boatyard and very fun to cycle. I raced against two previous mayors of Beccles, Caroline Topping and Hugh Taylor. To add to the fun Caroline and myself dressed as Suffragettes for the occasion. This year marks 100 years of women gaining the parliamentary vote, don’t forget our event to celebrate on October 13 in Blyburgate Hall.

This year I have used some of my county councillor locality funding to fund free activities for children in Beccles. Beccles Town Council match funded to ensure we had four days. These will be July 30 and August 29 at Beccles Quay and August 3 and 31 at Darby Park (10am to 2pm). The activities are aimed at children age 10 and above and the inflatable football pitch will be used at least twice over the summer.

Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw

Beccles mayor 18/19