Sir – On behalf of Witney Town Council we would like to thank and congratulate all those who took part in this year’s Remembrance Parade. It was truly amazing to see so many organisations come together, representing both young and old.

We would like to thank the public. What an incredible turnout on such a damp morning. It is clear that the people of Witney care very deeply about our serving forces, both from the past and in present conflicts and we hope that the message of Remembrance Day in Witney is one that our forces, wherever they may be, will take heart from.

It was very moving to see the veterans on parade and the collective rows of medals were reminders of how many true, modest heroes we have in our community. To see the young people of Witney take the day so seriously, standing alongside the veterans on parade was so heart-warming.

It was with great pride and humility that we had the privilege of laying the wreath on behalf of Witney Town Council and the residents of Witney on Remembrance Sunday.

On a sad note, we were extremely disappointed to learn the day after the parade that one of the eight beautiful oak trees planted a year ago to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the start of the First World War had been vandalised sometime during Remembrance Sunday.

These trees were planted to provide a living memorial, to be enjoyed by all, for many years to come on the Leys Recreation Ground. The response to this was immediate and overwhelming, with an offer from our local Squadron of Air cadets (2120 Sqn) to fundraise to replace the damaged tree.

In typical Witney style, demonstrating, once again, that the majority of the youth of our town are something of which we can be truly proud.

Jim King
Mayor of Witney
Mrs Sharon Groth
Town Clerk