A Westbury shop, which has been serving the town for more than 40 years, and a local nursery have been honoured with Civic Awards.
The awards went to Davies of Westbury, the family-run retailer in the town centre, and Step Up Pre-School of Dilton Marsh and were made by Mayor Jane Russ at a special awards evening on Friday 11th October.
Cllr Russ paid tribute to the award winners highlighting the contributions they make to the town.
In presenting Davies with their award, Cllr Russ said, “Tonight, I am giving a Civic Award to a local retailer who has, over more than 40 years, given service to the town. They have quietly, without fanfare, supported local good causes and, through their own efforts, created a retail success that draws in not only local residents but those from further afield too. They are a beacon of old-style service and knowledgeable skill.”
She added that earlier that day she had officially opened the new Post Office in the High Street and that the loss of the previous Post Office highlighted the precarious nature of retail today. “The lack of footfall in the town centre, combined with no banks or even a Post Office to deposit any cash you might have taken, has made things really hard for Westbury businesses, but business is one of the draws and centres of any community.”
Cllr Russ said although Step Up Pre-School of Dilton Marsh isn’t based in Westbury itself, the work they do very much helps the town and local families.
“I am a former teacher so I know and understand how massively important the early years can be in the development of any child and this facility in Dilton Marsh has been providing high quality pre-school education to the area for 10 years,” said Cllr Russ.
“It gave me such delight to open their new Glow Worm Baby Unit earlier in the year, which is an expansion of their two-classroom unit next to Dilton Marsh Primary School. I was so impressed by the quality of what they offer. Co-owners/managers Lis Humphrey and Rachael Dean have made their school the gold standard for all others in the area.”
At the awards evening, Cllr Russ paid tribute to all the people and groups in the town who help others, many of whom were in attendance.
She also paid tribute to the work of this year’s mayor’s charity, Stepping Stones, a specialist school for primary-aged children with special needs. “Although they are in Trowbridge, they serve the whole area and I know they have had many children from Westbury through their system. The town owes them a lot,” she said.
