Please click on the images to enlarge them

   

Sunningdale Park hosted a community party to mark the retirement of the Parish Council clerk, Anne Martin, who had served Sunningdale Parish for 9 years.  Northcote House, with its magnificent setting, gave the gathering a wonderful sense of occasion.  Former Chairman, Christine Gadd, had invited several former Parish Councillors and many others who play an active part in community life and volunteer in the Parish.  

Also attending were Councillors Christine Bateson and Sayonara Luxton, though on this occasion Sayonara was not in her Mayor’s regalia.

Christine said “Several people had contacted me on hearing of Anne’s departure wanting to give her recognition and appreciation for being such a proactive Parish Clerk and for her integrity and commitment.”

 

During the party Anne remarked that the occasion was as much in honour of Christine Gadd who had stood down from the Parish Council in 2015 without ceremony.  She and Christine had worked so well together and achieved much for the community, delivering visible contributions such as the Diamond Jubilee bench and the very popular Book Exchange, but also intangible benefits of developing the spirit of community.  Anne said “The clerk’s job has brought me a sense of achievement as one could make things happen for the benefit of Sunningdale.”

Christine had organised for a specimen tree to be presented as a gift from the assembled members of the community.  The beautiful Acer Davidii (snake bark maple) was planted out the following day in Anne’s extensive woodland garden at Blacknest.  One of her projects in retirement is to develop the idea of a Forest School in that woodland, and also to campaign on climate change.

Anne's Bench