The Mayor of Ellesmere, councillor Ryan Hartley, welcomed Mr Barry Lewis as an Honorary Freeman of Ellesmere at the recent Annual Town Meeting.

The award was presented to Mr Lewis in recognition of his 24 years’ service as a gardener in the town, always going above and beyond his remit.

Cllr Hartley went on to deliver his report on the Civic Year 2017/18, noting that Ellesmere continues to thrive and buck the trend locally during difficult times.

He thanked his fellow town councillors, clerk and assistant clerks, and local volunteers for all that they had done for the town during the previous year.

He also highlighted the support that the council had given to many projects including helping to secure Ellesmere Library and the day centres at Our Space for the foreseeable future.

The Town Hall had seen heavy use by many community groups and a new entrance lobby and energy-saving maintenance plan had attracted funding to ensure that good quality facilities could continue for the people of Ellesmere.

Cllr Hartley also noted that Ellesmere Town Council had received the Foundation Award under the Local Council Award Scheme, celebrating its development and successes over recent years.

Representatives from Shropshire Council addressed the meeting with a presentation on Social Prescribing, a scheme being piloted in north Shropshire through which GPs refer patients to community and social activities as a means of improving their health and well-being.

In the following Town Council meeting, Cllr Ryan Hartley was re-elected as town Mayor for the coming year, and Cllr Judith Williams was re-elected as Deputy Mayor.

At the next meeting of the Town Council at the Town Hall on Monday, June 4 at 7.15pm, councillors will be looking to approve the Annual Governance Annual Return and there will be documents to approve for the new General Data Protection Regulations.

Members of the public are always welcome.