As we approach the end of one calendar year and the beginning of the next, it seems rather fitting to look retrospectively at the past 12 months and in particular to consider the significant and memorable events that have taken place during this year.
2011 has been uniquely challenging for me and my family due to periods of ill-health which resulted in 2 periods of time spent as an inpatient at the John Radcliffe Hospital and various tests and scans as an outpatient. But despite this we have still achieved a lot this year!
Perhaps the most significant event in 2011 for me was the responsibility for UK Military Repatriations being handed back to RAF Brize Norton and the community of Oxfordshire. 1st September marked the official handover from the Mayor of Wootton Bassett to myself and the chairman of Brize Norton Parish, on behalf of the communities of Carterton and Brize Norton. There was no repatriation on 1st September and so the Union Flag was raised and left flying at the mast head.
On 8th September Sgt Barry Weston, from Reading and of Plymouth-based 42 Commando became the first to arrive at the £2.8m purpose-built repatriation centre at RAF Brize Norton and make the journey from Brize Norton to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, via the newly built memorial garden.
Oxfordshire has certainly risen to the challenge and despite some sceptical criticism about the chosen exit gate and the chosen route to the hospital (both of which were out of our hands); what we now have is sufficient, respectful and decorous. The only feedback which matters to me is that of the families of the fallen and their feedback has been consistently positive and indeed thankful to all those who take the time to come together and pay their respects at the memorial garden. It has become apparent in fact that these occasions are a great comfort to the family and friends of the fallen.
Around the middle of the year we began the Memorial Bell Appeal which will eventually see a large memorial bell installed in the vicinity of the memorial garden which will signal the arrival of the cortege. Several weeks of fund raising, culminating in the memorial bell speed march (undertaken by 5 Royal Marines, 1 Paratrooper and my dear son Nathan) reached a successful conclusion earlier this month and so we can expect to see the bell installed in the first quarter of 2012.
But the handover of repatriations is by no means the only significant event in 2011, indeed there have been many. In May we had the local government elections which included the election of Town Councillors in all 5 wards in Carterton. We have a number of new councillors on the Town Council which is good to see, and of course we have retained some of the most experienced and valued councillors for another 4-year term.
Earlier in the year we managed to complete a complete transformation of the play area at the Alvescot Road Recreation Ground, which was later officially opened by our local MP and Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP. Mr Cameron also visited Carterton Job Club which has been very consistent and steadily more widely known and more often utilised.
The vast majority of equipment and personnel transferred from RAF Lyneham to RAF Brize Norton this year, resulting in more road traffic and an increased demand on housing and local services such as schools, doctors and dentists. These challenges are understood by the project leaders and we are assured that they are doing all they can to mitigate risk.
We were able to announce in May of this year that Morrisons have purchased the town centre site (including the old market site) and we have also seen the start of the construction of a new Aldi Supermarket in Alvescot Road, which is expected to open in March of next year. All this is great news for the town and will allow it to develop in accordance with the Local Development Framework and improve the variety of shops and services in the town.
Housing has been a hot topic again this year. We have seen proposed plans from developers wanting to build a strategic housing development to the North, East and West of the town. Based on all available data; Carterton Town Council has expressed a preference for development to the West of Carterton.
In the first part of the year we learned that Oxfordshire County Council would be cutting all funding for youth in Carterton. I am absolutely delighted to be able to confirm that the Town Council has now successfully completed the purchase of the Allandale building and the current programme of refurbishment will allow us to re-open in Feb 2012. This has only been achievable with the valued support from Carterton Town Council, Carterton Youth Council, local voluntary organisations and like minded townsfolk, all of whom were simply not willing to accept the closure of our only youth centre. The end result is a very positive one and I look forward with hopeful anticipation that we can take our youth centre from strength to strength and allow it to be better than ever before as it will be managed at a local level as a innovative community led initiative.
In March, 2011 OxboxTV (an online local community TV station in Oxfordshire) was launched. Broadcast via the internet it brings us news from Oxfordshire and delivers it all right to our desktop, mobile phone, laptop, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and internet ready TV. Oxbox has already proved to be a very valuable asset in the town and has filmed a number of significant events providing a lasting reminder for all to enjoy.
In May of this year Brian Crossland was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) by current Lord Lieutenant Tim Stevenson. Mr Crossland worked for thirty years as a management accountant and change management consultant within the motor industry. After retiring early he joined Carterton Town Council, retiring from his council seat to accept the DL post.
All in all it has been a very busy year, and a rewarding year as the community of Carterton yet again pulled together and turned challenges into opportunities. There are dozens of people who rightly deserve my heartfelt thanks for their support, dedication, time and effort, If I were to attempt to name them all; I fear I would fail rather miserably, and so I would like to end this message with a very special note of immense gratitude to a small number of people who have been a true inspiration to me and an unwavering source of support and encouragement. Firstly to Janet Eustace (Town Clerk) and the Town Hall team, an invaluable source of help and guidance to me for more than 4 years now. Also to Cllr Norman MacRae (current Town Mayor) for his patience and his confidence in me to deliver outcomes that best serve the town of Carterton, whether it is engagement with local people to ascertain aspirations for the development of the recreation ground or support for initiatives that now provide opportunities for townsfolk of all ages. To Cllr Mrs Dee Bulley; for her wisdom and her political experience at all 3 tiers of local government. To the various voluntary sector organisations such as Carterton Lions, Rotary, Over 60’s, U3A, Royal British Legion, Base 33 and to the numerous individuals in and around Carterton who have been there for me; from Rev Bill Blakey of St John’s Church and Lin Kennedy (Community Development Officer from RAF Brize Norton) to Mags Turner and Rich Barnes from the neighbourhood police team.
But without doubt the most valued source of support and encouragement, and indeed constructive criticism when appropriate, is my family. My wife Kerry, to whom I have been married for 18 years, and my 17 year old son Nathan who this year successfully completed his GCSEs and has progressed into 6th form education at the Henry Box school.
It is rather difficult to accurately quantify the amount of time that is dedicated to serving as a Town Councillor, and indeed all councillors are different and dedicate varying amounts of their time to what I consider to be a hugely important and responsible post. But I’m sure that as you read this note you will know that balancing a full time career, family life and voluntary service to the local community as a Town Councillor is a rather testing conundrum. Kerry has always been consistently understanding and supportive of my endeavours, and for that I am immeasurably thankful to her. Kerry genuinely is the wind beneath my wings.
So as we embark on the dawn of a New Year; please take a moment to think about all those who give their time freely, without payment of any kind, for the benefit of others, whether that is in direct support of the immediate local community of Carterton or supporting other charitable organisations and voluntary sector initiatives. It is often the case that the real “community champions” go unnoticed, and because their motives are entirely altruistic; they seek no praise or accolades. Those people know who they are and hopefully will know just how valued they are by me and the rest of the community. One of my New Year resolutions is to recognise and reward voluntary work which is in support of the people of Carterton.
That just leaves me to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year 2012.
Adrian.
