This year marks the 50th anniversary for hundreds of town councils nationwide, created under the Local Government Act of 1972.
And Tuesday, May 28, marked exactly 50 years since Thatcham officially became a town council.
In the spirit of celebration, the present mayor of Thatcham Suzanne Adamantos hosted a special coffee morning for all previous mayors to come and reminisce.
The event featured a video montage of historical mayoral photographs, accompanied by music from 1974.
It concluded with the cutting of a celebratory cake and a group photo of Thatcham mayors, past and present.
Councillor Adamantos was pleased to welcome Roy Tubb (1979/80), Keith Woodhams (1990/91), Sheila Ellison (2004/05 and 2015/16), Stephanie Steevenson (2009/10), Gary Johnson (2014/15), Ellen Crumly (2016/17 and 2017/18), Jeff Brooks (2022/23) and Mark Lillycrop (2023/24).
Since 1974, there have been 36 mayors of Thatcham.
Phyliss Davies became the first town mayor of Thatcham in May 1974, with Roy Chapman as her deputy.
But some were no longer able to attend, and for their families, the anniversary is a sentimental occasion.
Luke Lewendon did not attend the open event, but recently visited the council offices in Brownsfield Road to view the portrait of his grandmother Ivy Street, who became Thatcham’s 25th mayor in 1998.
Mr Lewendon said he and his family are “immensely proud” of all she achieved while serving the people of Thatcham.
“Being mayor meant everything to her,” he said.
During her year as mayor, Mrs Street raised nearly £1,000 for the Kosovo Crisis Appeal by holding a charity concert.
She was also behind a campaign to improve road safety in Green Lane, organised the first-ever open-air Mayor’s Civic Service and greeted Queen Elizabeth during a royal visit to Denison Barracks in Hermitage.
Mrs Street was a resident of Thatcham since the 1960s.
She served twice on the town council from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1991 to 2006.
Mr Lewendon added: “She wasn’t born in Thatcham, but she loved the town and the people in it.
“She also had a good friendship with the late Lib Dem MP, David Rendel, who I remember paying last respects at her funeral.
“It was nice to see the people at the council remember her fondly.”
