As another year comes to a close and we approach the festive season, it always seems appropriate that we take time to reflect on the year gone by. It has of course been a challenging year; unprecedented in modern times, and the effects of the pandemic may impact on the way we live and work for years to come.
Christmas will in many cases be different this year with restrictions on when, how and with whom we may celebrate this special time of year. We know it will be strange but we do have so much to be thankful for.
At Christmas, we should think of the bereaved, those who are continuing to battle illness and those who may be lonely, isolated or vulnerable as a result of this devastating virus.
Let’s also find an opportunity to think about those key workers who will continue to work selflessly throughout the festive period: the emergency services, our hospital staff, care providers, and those involved in many other essential public services; and, as we’ve done throughout this year, let’s look to help those less fortunate than ourselves and consider what we can do to support our neighbours and the wider community.– we honour them all by following the latest safety guidance and doing the right thing for St Ives.
Despite the challenges we’ve all faced, there are so many reasons to find hope and take inspiration. We have been brought closer to our communities and we share a renewed appreciation for the fantastic work of our public services and the voluntary sector. We also thank our many and varied local businesses for putting crucial measures into place to make our shops and hospitality places so much safer.
St Ives is known to be a welcoming town. As I have undertaken my Civic duties, I have been greatly impressed at the goodwill that exists amongst the diverse communities that make up this great town of ours and the amount of charity and voluntary work that takes place on a daily basis by so many people who go about their tasks quietly and without self-reward, only seeking to make life a little better for those less fortunate than themselves.
As Mayor, I will continue to support as many good causes as possible during the remainder of my term, to raise the profile of local charities and voluntary organisations, all of whom work tirelessly to help others and improve our quality of life.
We live in a wonderful place and we are proud and honoured that so many people from all over the world want to visit and share our town with us. A recent national survey placed St Ives as being the happiest place in the UK to live- and none of us can doubt the main reasons for this as being the local scenery and the special nature of our local community. We are all ambassadors for St Ives and together we can make this place even more special for every resident of and visitor to the parish.
On behalf of the members and staff of the Town Council, and together with the Mayoress, I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Xmas and a truly Happy New Year!
Cllr Tony Harris
Mayor of St Ives
