In my fortnightly blog on the town council website, I recently wrote that the most enjoyable thing about being the Mayor is attending the various events organised by local organisations.
This is particularly true at this time of the year. Since taking over as Mayor in September, the Mayoress and I have attended no fewer than 54 different events and they come thick and fast as Christmas approaches.
Working as a reporter in Lyme for many years, I’m acutely aware that our town punches far above its weight when it comes to creating a very special Christmas atmosphere. And this year is no exception.
Our countdown to Christmas started by an invitation to the Old Folks’ Christmas lunch in the Woodmead Halls, always a happy occasion and one I have attended on many occasions, long before I reached the BIG 70, as it used to be organised by the Regatta and Carnival in the 1970s when I was the secretary.
For many years now this event has been organised by a committee led by former mayor Owen Lovell and his willing team of helpers who served a delicious traditional Christmas lunch cooked by the wonderful Emma Blackmore, followed by some enjoyable entertainment.
Having grown up amongst those attending the lunch, this always signals the start of the festive season for me.
Next came the switch-on of Lyme’s fabulous Christmas illuminations, rightly considered to be among the best in Dorset. The afternoon started with the lantern-making competition, which the Mayoress and I judged, a very difficult task as the standard was so high. I was surprised by the number of visitors taking part, some who said they came every year just to be part of the event as “Lyme was their happy place”.
Accompanied by my deputy, Cllr Michaela Ellis and her husband Alan, we led the lantern parade down the town for the Big Switch-On by Father Christmas, watched by hundreds despite appalling weather.
The town’s Christmas lights are organised by a committee led by Rob James and partly financed by the town council which makes a grant of £4,000 every year.
This was followed by a new event, also at the Woodmead Halls – a community four-course Christmas dinner for 100 residents, cooked by some of the town’s most talented chefs for the bargain price of a tenner!
This was the first event of the newly formed Lyme Regis Business Association, who the following week organised the Big Christmas Weekend which saw several local shops and businesses offering special bargains.
At the end of the weekend, I presented the prizes for the best Christmas shop window display won by the Millside restaurant with Katherines’ Rare Knitwear and Paper Bird, in second and third places, judged by a public vote. Well done to all the businesses that made the effort. There was a real vibe in the town centre.
* Mayor and Mayoress Philip and Jackie Evans pictured at the Christmas Tree festival where they raised £80 for the Mayor’s charities – the Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support Group and the Lyme Food Bank.
I’m delighted that the traders have got together to form a group, supported by a council £1,500 start-up grant, to promote the town to ensure that Lyme maintains its position as one of the most popular resorts on the south coast. They have some very exciting plans for the future.
I’m now looking forward to next week when my all-time favourite Lyme event is taking place – the ever-popular Carols Around the Tree. Led by the Lyme Regis Town Band, a gathering of several hundred people will sing a selection of popular carols. It’s where locals and visitors mingle to start the Christmas celebrations in style. And you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a few former Lyme-born people who make the journey home especially for this occasion.
Carols Around the Tree has been organised by the Rotary Club for many years during which time they have raised thousands of pounds for good causes. This year’s beneficiaries are Cancer Research UK, a charity close to my heart, and Julia’s House children’s hospice.
For the Mayoress and I, our engagements over the festive period will end when we start the Lyme Lunge, one of the biggest New Year’s Day fancy dress swims on the south coast, also organised by the Rotary Club. This year proceeds will go to the Weldmar Hospice and Riding for the Disabled as well as Rotary charities.
On behalf of the town council, I would like to pay tribute to all those who work as volunteers in our community, making Lyme such a wonderful place to work and live. We would also like to thank all those who have treated us with such kindness.
And to all Lyme residents, the Mayoress and I wish you a happy and healthy Christmas with the hope that the year 2025 delivers all that you would wish.