Minutes:
1. The Mayor welcomed Councillor Paul Metcalfe who was recently elected to the Council following the Sovereign Ward By-Election.
2. The Mayor has had a busy few months. Some of the engagements that the Mayor has recently attended include:
3. Flag for the Wish Tower Flag Raising Event – This took place at the Wish Tower on 19th November following a community project to design a new flag. The flag will fly whenever the Wish Tower is open to the public.
4. Society of Eastbourne Artists Exhibition – During the weekend of 26th and 27th November the Society of Eastbourne Artists held an Exhibition and Sale of Paintings at the Town Hall. The Mayor’s Charities benefited from the exhibition sales and also raised funds at the refreshments stall during the weekend.
5. Metro Bank Opening – The Mayor was pleased to open the 46th branch of Metro Bank in the newly extended Arndale Centre on Friday 2nd December.
6. Pantomime Civic Night – On 15th December the Mayor and other members of the Council attended the Civic Night of the Pantomime at the Devonshire Park Theatre. This winter’s pantomime was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
7. Christmas Day – On Christmas Day the Mayor attended the Rotary Club Alone at Christmas event at Our Lady of Ransom Parish Hall and enjoyed chatting with those who would otherwise be spending the day on their own. She then visited the Accident and Emergency department at Eastbourne DGH, the Police Station at Hammonds Drive and the Fire Station to thank those who were spending their Christmas Day working for Eastbourne’s emergency services.
8. Sport Eastbourne Open Day – The Mayor was pleased to learn about the different activities on offer at Hampden Park Sports Centre during her visit to the Sport Eastbourne Open Day on Saturday 7th January.
9. Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night – The first Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night of the new year took place at the Town Hall on Friday 20th January. Once again the event was very well attended and raised over £500 for the Mayor’s Charities. The winning team was ‘Straight Outta Trumpton’.
10. Beachy Head Marathon Cheque Presentation – On 24th January the Mayor attended the Beachy Head Marathon Cheque Presentation at the International Lawns Tennis Centre. The Mayor thanked the volunteers for their involvement in the event and presented them with cheques totalling £7700.00.
11. Launch of Eastbourne Volunteers – A new Eastbourne Volunteers project was launched on 28th January and the Mayor was pleased to open their Hub in the Labyrinth. At the same time a new community newspaper for Eastbourne was also launched called ‘The Eastbourne Volunteer’.
12. Launch of Seaside Community Hub – On 17th February the Mayor was very happy to attend the launch of the new Seaside Community Hub. The Hub was set up by Sue Morris and Helen McCabe as a large community space in Seaside to stop another building becoming unused and to provide social activities for local residents, many free or low cost.
13. During the last few months the Mayor has also attended a number of awards ceremonies, concerts, conferences and other events.
14. The Mayor has chosen to support Refuge, which helps women and children affected by domestic violence, and The Eastbourne Open Award Centre for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a programme of personal development for young people. The Mayor’s Charity Committee have had a busy few months, and there are still a number of events remaining for you to show your support for the charities. These include:
· 29th April – 1st May – Following the success of their November Exhibition, the Society of Eastbourne Artists will be returning to the Town Hall with all proceeds of the Exhibition going to the Mayor’s Charities.
For any enquiries regarding these events, please contact the Mayor’s Office.