50 YEARS SERVICE TO DITTON PARISH COUNCIL

50 YEARS SERVICE TO DITTON PARISH COUNCIL

At the Annual Parish Meeting of Ditton Parish Council held on 17th May [under Covid guidelines], we were very privileged to be able to acknowledge a very special member of the Parish Council. Cllr Tony Mulcuck has given 50 years of unbroken service to Ditton Parish Council. The event was attended by current council members, past Chairman and staff of the Council together with members of Tony's family.

During his time on the Council he has been Chairman of the Open Spaces & Amenities Committee and is currently Chair of the Planning Committee. He has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Council and as a member of the Community Centre Committee, Personnel and F&A Committees. In other words there is not much he does not know about this Council. Tony has always gone that extra mile to ensure projects are completed such as getting the quarry declared as a Local Nature Reserve and he has helped organise many events, in particular the annual Remembrance Service.

Tony has been inspirational and passionate in finding ways for people in the village to socialise. In 1994 he got a small group together and formed the Ditton Active Retirement Association. In 1986 he instigated the formation of Ditton Bowls Club. In the 1990’s Tony was the forerunner of Ditton Heritage Centre and after much fundraising helped to fulfil the project to turn a derelict Victorian School Building into Ditton Heritage Centre.

There is so much more we could say as Tony has achieved so much since he joined the Council on 26th May 1971.

Cllr John Lover, Chairman, asked all those present to join him in a round of applause for Tony – thank you for your loyalty and dedication to our Parish over the last 50 years. Tony was presented with a bench in recognition of his long service to the Council and this will be placed at the War Memorial as a tribute to the hard work that Tony puts into organising the annual Remembrance Service. He was also presented with an engraved glass and bottle of his favourite "tipple".

Photos courtesy of Cloe Eastwood [Tony's grand-daughter] show Tony with Chairman John Lover and with his wife Maralyn trying out the new bench: