1 May 2012

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

THE Town Mayor’s official regalia has been repaired and upgraded with a new velvet collar which will stop it slipping and prevent wear and tear on the links.

“The chain was designed to be worn with a business suit, the collar of which kept it in place, but women’s clothes are cut differently and it is inappropriate for female mayors,” said Town Clerk Julie Holden.

The chain was made for the old Urban District Council in 1951, and various clubs and organisations in the town donated links to it, including the Guinea Pig Club.

But alterations over the years, which included making the central motif detachable, have changed the shape of it, and it no longer fits in the heavy wooden box made to house it, and presented to the UDC by local company John Stenning and Son in 1952.

On the demise of the old UDC the Town Council subsequently inherited the chain but with recent mayors undertaking far more appearances than their predecessors, it is no longer practical to use the heavy handle-less box to carry the chain around in.

The new box has been purpose-made by regalia specialists Thomas Fattorini to fit the chain, and the lightweight design in the shape of a large briefcase will house it securely when the mayor is on the move.

The old box will now be put on display in the mayor’s parlour.