Century of services celebrated at Eastergate

The hundred years of Eastergate Parish Council was marked with a special occasion.

A large number of people celebrated the unique event in the life of the parish by attending the annual assembly.

This looked to the past and the future of the area courtesy of the council's chairman and archivist, Dr Peter Carter.

He compiled an exhibition of documents from the archives of the council. He was joined by the notable gathering of seven of his predecessors who had served the parish since 1983.

He presented each of the past chairmen with a small memorial in recognition of their service to the parish. This took the form of a mounted citation and emblem of the parish.

A cake decorated with the council's crest, and divided among those present, also paid tribute to the evening's historic nature.

The parish council was formed at the annual assembly of 1910 under the chairmanship of William Collins. Between then, and this year's meeting, there have been 20 chairmen of the council who have led numerous councillors working on behalf of their residents.

The formal part of the 2010 assembly began with a minute's silence to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

This was to remember those service personnel whose deaths in both world wars are listed on the parish's notable lion memorial.

The silence also paid tribute to those councillors and chairmen who had served the parish of Eastergate in the past century.