A seasonal message from Cramlington Town Mayor

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to send a festive message to the people of Cramlington at this time of year.

It is the season of happiness and thanks but also of reflection and hope.

Firstly, I offer my gratitude to the people of Cramlington who continue to create a town I am proud to call my home.

We are all feeling the pinch this year, but I am sure Cramlington residents will again be generous with their community spirit and help those less fortunate than themselves.

Community is also at the heart of what Cramlington Town Council does and over the past year our Community and Youth team has been proactively engaging with residents across the town.

Three new Youth Clubs have been funded by the Council following the issuing of a Community Trigger following a series of incidents at Brockwell.

We continue to be impressed by the commitment of the young people who form Cramlington Youth Council.

During the school holidays the Town Council provides free holiday activities at various venues, and we will continue to develop this provision to fit the needs of young residents.

And speaking of youngsters, our Community and Youth Committee were delighted with the reaction to the mini-pantomime Mrs Claus and her Travelling Kitchen which has just been held over three consecutive weekends in December. Again, this was free to parents and funded by the Town Council. I attended these shows every weekend and it was delightful to see the pleasure on the children’s faces. Well done to the actors from Life of Reilly Productions for putting on such a great show.

It‘s been a year since the Town Council moved to their new offices in Manor Walks and the three meeting rooms we offer free for public use have proved to be very popular. Groups have hosted a variety of training opportunities, funding workshops, fundraisers and formal meetings within our office space.

In 2023 we will continue to organise community showcases and I’m already looking forward to the Wildspaces Hub hosting a Cramlington Conservation Day event in July.

Cramlington Heritage Hub are already working on plans to mark the 60^th anniversary of the formation of Cramlington new town in 2023.

And of course in February we are hosting our 4^th #LoveCramlington Awards where recognition is given to our many local heroes.

Cramlington Town Council is continuing with a rolling programme of playground improvements. We have just completed an £80k refurbishment of the Weldon Road play area and will soon be starting on our £100k Adventure Playground and Dog Park, both within Alexandra Park.

We have increased the number of speed cameras and CCTV across the town as we unfortunately continue to have issues with vandalism.

Our in-house Operations Team have given excellent levels of service in 2022 and I congratulate them for their hard work. The town has looked superb this year and we continue to increase the ratio of herbaceous areas to bedding displays. You may have noticed some areas of grass were also allowed to grow longer – a great way to increase bio-diversity and reduce fuel costs.

I also want to thank those who will continue to work throughout the festive period: the emergency services, our hospital staff, care providers and those involved in many other essential public services.

If you have an emergency during the Christmas Holiday Northumberland County Council can be contacted on 0345 600 6400

It just remains for me to say Merry Christmas and all the best for 2023.”

Councillor Loraine De Simone

Cramlington Town Mayor