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Christmas Message from the Mayor of Hailsham

Mayor's Press Releases

Photo of Mayor Cllr Holbrook sitting next to the Christmas tree at the Town Council offices 

“As the festive season is upon us, 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 2020 and look back on the achievements – and of course, significant challenges that we have all faced.

I’d like to take the opportunity to say that, while many of us have had a bad year due to COVID-19, Christmas is just around the corner. It goes without saying that this Christmas will be very different for many of us with the proposed restrictions on the number of people from different households we’re allowed to engage in festivities with.

Even though we are still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we should follow the Government guidelines during the ‘three-family/five-day’ festive period and modify our activities for the benefit of your family and friends’ health. We can still enjoy the family traditions associated with Christmas – we just need to learn how to adapt to the situation to help protect ourselves and all those around us.

While we can clearly see a light at the end of the tunnel now, but we’re not quite there yet and all we need to do our part to keep everyone safe and prevent COVID-19 case numbers from rising further.

But this Christmas brings with it the hope that next year will see a noticeable improvement in the number of infection cases, if as many of us as possible seek the protection needed from COVID-19 and have the vaccine when it’s readily available.

With the arrival of the new COVID-19 vaccine, it is estimated that we should now only be a matter of months away from fully protecting ourselves from the virus and returning to some semblance of normality in our daily lives.

We just need to be patient a little longer. I have delight in saying that this will all soon be behind us!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for sacrificing many freedoms and enduring the many restrictions associated with tackling the pandemic throughout the year. I’m proud of the Hailsham community for persevering and doing their part to prevent the spread of the virus and protect others around them.

I’m have been happy to continue in my role as Mayor and Chairman over the past year. While the two lockdowns had meant that most mayoral functions had to be cancelled during those periods, I have attended many new business openings.

It’s wonderful to have been asked to open the various new shops and businesses since the summer and it’s wonderful to see enterprising people continue to set up businesses in our town, despite the pandemic which has affected the local economy to such a considerable degree. We have an increasingly vibrant town centre – and the opening of these new businesses is a great addition!

Furthermore, I’ve still represented the town in many other ways since the onset of the pandemic and have continued to be on call to residents should when they needed to talk to me about Town Council services or discuss ways to help the vulnerable.

I have seen first-hand how difficult it has been for many people because of the pandemic, but it has also been delightful to see how community spirit in our wonderful town has been and continues to be strong.

As Mayor, I will continue to attend as many functions as possible – which I am permitted to take part in – and help to raise the profile of local charities, community groups, voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals.

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 stress that, over the Christmas period, we should 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 or who are currently self-isolating.

Also, we should give our gratitude to those who over the Christmas period will be working, such as the doctors, nurses and all emergency services staff.

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 2021 will be a brighter, more positive and much healthier one for us all.

Thank you and stay safe.”

Cllr Paul Holbrook

Town Mayor & Chairman, Hailsham Town Council


Enquiries relating to this media release

Terry Hall, Communications Officer
Hailsham Town Council, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE
Telephone: 01323 841702 | Email: terry.hall@hailsham-tc.gov.uk