Despite a nasty accident to the town mayor a few days earlier, a celebration of 50 years of service given to Swanage by its town council went ahead as planned at St Mary’s Church in Swanage, Dorset.
Swanage town mayor Tina Foster suffered a broken nose and black eyes when she fell over on the town hall’s Victorian stone floor but was determined to make it to the long planned commemoration on Sunday 6th October 2024.
VIPs at the service included town councillors, staff, the local MP, volunteers, fundraisers and town organisations
An alphabet of reasons to be thankful
The Swanage town mayor said it was important to her to be at the service of thanksgiving to give deserved praise to all those who have poured their life and soul into making Swanage great since the town council was set up in April 1974.
Deputy mayor Chris Moreton helped his colleague to the front of the church to address the congregation, and also helped her to deliver a speech praising the work and service that Swanage Town Council has given over the past 50 years.
Together, the two of them took the 150 invited guests from local charities and organisations, through an A to Z of memorable moments from the town council’s history.
They began with the allotments at Prospect Gardens which feed 160 local homes, included Beach Gardens, Day’s Park, Godlingston, festivals, Swanage Information Centre, Peveril Point, Prince Albert Gardens, Swanage Railway and more, before ending with zoom meetings, the only way to continue running Swanage through lockdown.
The beautiful church of St Mary’s was a perfect setting for celebration
“Touch and go whether I would be here”
Town mayor Tina Foster said:
“It was touch and go whether I would be here today, but my daughter says that my face matches my purple suit and it would take more than a broken nose to make me miss this celebration!
“We are gathered here to celebrate the civic life of our community and the part that Swanage Town Council has played in it since it came into being in April 1974.
“At the time its creation was not seen as something to celebrate, marking the end of 80 years in which the town had its own urban district council in control of housing, road maintenance, refuse collection and public health as well as all the town’s tourist and community facilities.
“Although the town gained a mayor for the first time in 1974, following on from the closure of the rail service and the grammar school, these were tough times for Swanage.”
Musicians from Swanage Town Band, conducted by John Watkins
“Much to celebrate from the last 50 years”
The mayor added:
“Fifty years later, I’m glad to say that we have a new perspective. Looking back, we can appreciate that the Town Council has achieved a great deal over the last five decades and continues to provide a wide range of services, cherished by local residents.
“There is much to celebrate from the last 50 years – fantastic new parks and gardens, sports and children’s play facilities, an attractive seafront, the preservation of our heritage and steps taken to reduce the impact of climate change.
“This has only been achieved by a fantastic record of public service from councillors, staff and volunteers alike, though we know there is much hard work ahead to continue to preserve and enhance our town in the years ahead.
“We also know that this will only be achieved by working closely with our fantastic community organisations, so many of which are represented here today.”
Reverend Ian Bird led the service alongside team vicar of Swanage and Studland Jo Levasier
Fundraisers praised for enhancing the town
Over the past 50 years, almost 100 local residents have given their time to serve as councillors, including former Swanage Grammar School teacher Gwen Rawlings, Swanage legends Julie Wheeldon and Gloria Marsh, and radio host David Hollister.
Longest serving town councillors Bill Trite and Gary Suttle both completed 33 years of service to the town in May 2024.
Longest serving town clerk, the late Ron Jones, retired in 1998 after 16 years in post, and longest serving member of staff Linda Burgess managed finance and administration at the council until retiring in 2017.
Three amazing fundraisers were also praised for helping to enhance the town – Lorna Haines who almost single-handedly funded a skate park at King George’s fields; Alan Houghton who rallied the town to save the bandstand; and John Corben who with the Trevor Chadwick Trustees commemorated the life of a forgotten local hero with a statue on the Recreation Ground.
Later in the service the St Mary’s Church Choir performed ‘The Choristers’ Prayer’ by Piers Maxim
Swanage’s own AllSort’d Choir performed ‘Something Inside So Strong’
“A chance to look forward with confidence”
Reverend Ian Bird, the team rector for Swanage and Studland, welcomed everyone to the service saying:
“We have gathered here to celebrate our town and to mark the 50th anniversary of Swanage Town Council, with representatives of many different organisations which make Swanage such a welcoming, creative and diverse place.
“This is an opportunity to say thanks to all the staff and councillors who have helped make Swanage a better place over the years, and to look forward with confidence as we move forward and make our town an even better place to live and visit.”
Bible readings were delivered by Swanage town councillor Megan Coward and by the Swanage Royal British Legion’s president John Corben, while the Swanage Town Band, St Mary’s Choir and the AllSort’d Choir provided music and song.
Love Cake, Java Cafe and the Italian Bakery kindly provided cake and refreshments after the service.
A retiring collection was taken for the mayor’s chosen charity Dementia Friendly Purbeck, currently raising funds to provide a second specialist dementia nurse for the area.
Lloyd Hatton the new MP for South Dorset was invited to attend the church service
Vital to connect with local communities
South Dorset’s new MP Lloyd Hatton was a guest of honour at the thanksgiving event and said it was very important to him to connect with local communities, celebrate their successes and be available to listen to their concerns.
Speaking after the service, Lloyd Hatton said:
“My first few weeks in post have been busy, but it has been very important that I find time to build up these relationships with communities in Swanage, Purbeck, and everywhere else.
“The constituency is spread out and diverse and there have been a lot of big issues to get on top of, like the Studland to Sandbanks Ferry, an essential service for Swanage, Studland, Corfe and communities all across Purbeck, and why I’m challenging proposals to massively increase toll prices and restrict road access.
“There’s also the state of health services and dentistry in rural areas like Purbeck, holding big water firms to account on sewage spills, the problem with housing association homes in Corfe Castle and shutting down the Bibby Stockholm in Portland.
“I am holding advice surgeries across the constituency, I’ve already met people in Swanage and have a meeting in Corfe Castle on Friday 25th October to hear local issues and give everybody the opportunity to raise their concerns.”
Further information
- More about Swanage Town Council is on its website