Oswestry Town Mayor, Councillor Rose visited several community groups this week.
First stop was a local meeting of Shropshire Community Connectors. They have regular meetings in each area of the county to help link people together to form strong communities. Any large organisation, charity, or individual working to support communities can join. A great opportunity to network, promote your service and gain peer support.
“It was an informative meeting with several groups including Diabetes Support, Lifelong Learning and the Severn Trent Community Fund. A great initiative to help organisations share ideas. If you would like to join or find out more, contact s.lanyon@qube-oca.org.uk.”
Councillor Rose next visited the Clwyd Vintage Vehicle Steam Rally & Craft Fair at Oswestry Showground on the 17th & 18th of June. “This is a fun, two-day event with plenty to entertain the whole family. Some high-quality crafts and magnificent models made by enthusiasts including many steam-powered ‘Heath Robinson Style’ contraptions. I was particularly interested in the vintage, beautifully restored bicycles from the 1920’s and beyond, although they don’t look as comfortable as today’s models. I found my first car, the Morris Minor, but the cars at the show are much more lovingly kept. I recommend you visit next year’s show.”
On Tuesday the 27th of June, the Mayor met with Borderland Theatre. In addition to putting on a free ‘Family Fun Day’ in Cae Glas Park on the 22nd of July and performing a panto at Christmas, the theatre group is becoming more involved in the community.
“Borderland Theatre has organised a couple of sessions at senior citizens clubs and would like to find other groups in the community to work with. Their aim is to involve people from all parts of the community in performance and creativity. If you want to know more, contact info@borderland-theatre.co.uk.”
Later in the day, Councillor Rose met with Oswestry’s Twinning Association. Oswestry has been twinned with Combs-la-Ville for 43 years, a town located 30 miles from Paris. The group is working on a list of fundraising and social events. “The Twinning Association is keen involve younger people to continue this legacy of visits between the two towns. It’s a great way to improve your French. The group encourages anyone to take part to grow our ongoing friendship and exchange of culture.
To find more contact oswestry.twinning@btinternet.com.”
On Wednesday, the 21st of June, Cllr Rose attended the Montgomery Canal Forum – an annual event that rotates venue between Newtown, Welshpool, and Oswestry. Cllr Rose commented. “I’ve always been a fan of canals, how you can float past city industrial warehouses and a few minutes later be in beautiful countryside that is hard to reach by road. The Shropshire Union Canal Society has completed a huge amount of work over the last year linking up a stretch of the Montgomery Canal to the national network. In recognition of this huge achievement, the Inland Waterways Association has awarded them with the ‘Tetlow Cup’. Today, we heard about a potential new bridge, aqueduct repairs and reclaiming overgrown and sometimes almost invisible watercourses. I hope all the plans come to fruition as the waterways are good for tourism and encourage walking and cycling. It was heartening to hear that conservation and wildlife are central to the developments with several new nature reserves planned. The conference facilities kindly provided by AICO were amazing too.” To find out more, contact Shropshire Union Canal Society at www.shropshireunion.org.uk.
Last stop for the Mayor was to Oswestry and Borders Foodbank AGM. “This was a lively meeting, not something normally said of an AGM.” The charity has grown tremendously in the past year acquiring another building to house its new wrap-around services. As well as providing food, the foodbank also helps with debt issues, managing finances, domestic abuse, physical and mental health, and a listening service provided by the Samaritans. Cllr Rose added “The need for foodbank services continues to grow. I heard presentations from Citizens Advice and the Samaritans, which were both upsetting and heartening – upsetting that we are experiencing such high levels of poverty but heartening to see the huge effort and commitment from the volunteers in this team. If you are interested in helping or finding out more about the foodbank, please contact www.oswestryandbordersfoodbank.org.uk.”
