Welcome to our June update. I hope you have enjoyed the sunshine in May, and here’s hoping for more good weather this month, with opportunities to enjoy the river with Wallingford’s recent Bathing Water Status. In this article we’re also going to feature upcoming events in Town, with the 80th anniversary of D-day, a grand opening of the Senses Garden and the second year of the Curfew Bell Celebration.
Bathing Water Status
We are proud to have been successful in attaining Bathing Water Status, which will mean that the water quality is monitored to the benefit of our community who use the river for swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking and more. Our river and beach area remain key to the beauty and enjoyment of our town for residents and visitors alike. This application was a great example of how councils and agencies can work together to achieve results and we hope this will prove to be a useful tool towards improving the water quality. More information about the water status can be found on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website.
80th Anniversary of D-day
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-day operation on June 6th 1944. On this day the land, air and sea forces of the allied armies invaded Normandy in what later became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history.
We will be marking this significant anniversary with an event in Wallingford Town Centre on Thursday 6th June, with the national lighting of the Beacon at 9.15pm and live music from Wallingford School and Benson Military Wives Choir throughout the evening. We hope you can join us to come together as a community and mark this occasion.
Senses Garden – Grand Opening
We recently held a community art competition where entrants drew and painted artwork of wildlife and flowers to decorate a new information board for the Senses garden, and to create a logo for ‘Wallingford in Bloom’. A big congratulations to Lara, Matilda, Violet and Milly for their beautiful work. We will be unveiling the information board, congratulating the winners and officially opening the Senses Garden later in June, which is open for the community to attend and in preparation for our ‘Britain in Bloom’ judging in July. More details will be uploaded on our website.
Wallingford’s Celebration of the Curfew Bell
On the evening of Saturday 6th July, the market place will be transformed with live music, a play and dancing to celebrate the history of the curfew bell. This annual event is to showcase the history of Wallingford’s Curfew Bell. In 1069, the town was granted an extra hour of Curfew by William the Conqueror for allowing his army to cross the Thames in 1066. To this day, the Curfew Bell still rings in St Mary’s church every evening at 8.55pm – see if you can hear it next time you’re in town.
This year we will be inviting the community to take part in a Curfew Bell competition, with artistic designs on display in St Mary’s Church for the day. Templates can be picked up from the Town Information Centre.
Please see our website for full timings of the evening and we look forward to seeing you there.
Best wishes,
Cllr Daniel Beauchamp, Mayor of Wallingford
Save the dates
- 6th June: 80th Anniversary of D-day
- 9th June: Walled Gardens of Wallingford
- 10th – 15th June: Corn Exchange Drama Festival
- 15th June: Wallingford Carnival
- 21st – 22nd June: Skittles, Beer and Cider Festival at Wallingford Sport Park
- 22nd June: Gift & Craft Market in the Town Hall
- 23rd June: Music in the Castle Gardens: Cholsey Silver Band
- 6th July: Celebration of the Curfew Bell