Mayor of Alnwick praises town's 'amazing' community spirit in Christmas message

I would like to send a message to you all at this festive time of year and think about what we can look forward to as well as reflect upon the past year which has been very difficult for all of us.

I have to say the community spirit in Alnwick is just amazing and for the past year everyone has acted with great community cohesion. Over the past 12 months businesses have shown immense fortitude as they strived to remain open.

We are very lucky to have a great mix of independent and larger shops in the town and I’d like to say a big thank you to all those that have created the wonderful shop windows and to the many people who have helped make the town look amazing. A special thanks to the Christmas lights committee who have made the town look magnificent.

I hope our businesses have the type of season they are hoping for as this Omicron variant raises its ugly head.

Throughout the past 12 months Alnwick Town Council have continued to support localisation and events. We have a great team, and they work very hard to support all who live, work and play here.

I’d particularly like to thank the team after their work following Storm Arwen. The cemetery was hit badly with the loss of many trees including 15 significant specimens, and they worked very hard to clear the fallen timber and to make the cemetery safe. We did have to call in professional tree surgeons to help but within less than two weeks the cemetery was open for business again. We will be planting trees there and across the town as part of our plans for 2022.

We have some real jewels in our crown in Alnwick and the Town Council is particularly pleased to support Alnwick Civic Society, Alnwick Playhouse and the Bailiffgate Museum as well as many other organisations through our grant scheme. Details of how to apply for grants can be found on our website.

Looking forward, the council will continue to support our businesses and our community.

On behalf of our team and my fellow councillors, I’d like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe 2022.