Christmas Message from the Mayor of Hailsham

“As the festive season approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, healthy and prosperous New Year to all residents of Hailsham. It is with pleasure that I present my Christmas Message for 2019 and look back on the achievements of yet another year.

Since becoming Town Mayor and Chairman in May, it has been a privilege for the Mayoress and I to attend a range of engagements with community groups, local charities and businesses in the town and local area.

From these engagements, I have learned about the tremendous amount of work and dedication carried out to support the people of Hailsham, and the help and encouragement given by them in the community to the young and not so young residents of our town.

They all deserve recognition, which I have been happy to give this past year by publicising their achievements and I would personally like to thank them all for the extraordinary welcomes I received at their events and meetings.

I’d like to extend my gratitude to these organisations, which include Age Concern Hailsham, Hailsham Lions Club, Hailsham Bonfire Society, Royal British Legion Hailsham Branch, the Royal Air Forces Association Hailsham, Hailsham FM, the 249 Millennium Squadron, Environment Hailsham, Hailsham Choral Society, Hailsham Festival Committee, Hailsham Photographic Society, Hailsham Historical & Natural History Society and Hailsham Foodbank, among many others.

As Mayor, I will continue to visit as many places and people as possible during the remainder of my term and to raise the profile of local charities and voluntary organisations, all of whom work tirelessly to help others and make individuals lives just that much better and brighter.

In terms of my role as Chairman of the Town Council, during the past year, we have made significant improvements to our services to residents and found better and more efficient ways to get things done and make our frontline operations as efficient as possible.

Furthermore, I’d like to take this opportunity to reassure you all that everyone at Hailsham Town Council will continue to do everything in their power to attract investment into our town and make Hailsham an even stronger and better place to live and work.

Before closing, I’d like to wish all residents of Hailsham a peaceful and very happy Christmas. But let us not forget to care for those who are less fortunate than ourselves, including the elderly, the infirm and the bereaved, and all the vulnerable people in our town, including those who will go hungry this Christmas.

Also, we should give our gratitude to those who over the Christmas Holiday will be working, such as the doctors, nurses and emergency services staff and those Hailsham people overseas who will spend the holidays away from home this year.

On behalf of all the town councillors and staff at Hailsham Town Council, the Deputy Town Mayor Cllr Amanda O’Rawe, my wife and Mayoress Cllr Barbara Holbrook and myself would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and hope that 2020 will be prosperous and healthy for us all.

Remember, if you’ve got something you want to talk to me about in the New Year please come along to one of my ‘Tea with the Mayor’ surgeries. I’ll be pleased to help.”

Cllr Paul Holbrook

Town Mayor & Chairman, Hailsham Town Council