An enchanting evening filled with timeless carols - heralded the start of the festive carol season.
Chairman of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Stephen Bunney welcomed guests to his Civic Carol Service on Friday, 8 December.
The event, held in the beautiful Market Rasen Methodist Church, provided the perfect acoustics for the powerful resonance of ‘Hallelujah’ – performed by the Claxby Community Choir.
The service conducted by The Revd. David Cotton, offered poignant reflections on the global conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. He called upon attendees to join in prayers for peace, emphasizing the need for solidarity and compassion during these challenging times. He said:
“It feels sad to be celebrating Christmas while there are so many conflicts around the world and people are dying in the Ukraine, the Middle East and other areas. All we can do is pray and hope peace returns to those countries suffering.”
The heartwarming evening featured beloved traditional carols such as ‘Once in Royal David's City’, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, and ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem.’
Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Trevor Young gave a reading on the night. Speaking after the event, he said:
“It was an enjoyable evening, in a beautiful setting. It was lovely to see so many people in attendance.”
Readings contributed to the overall resonance of the occasion, fostering reflection and a sense of community spirit. They were presented by; the Chief Executive of West Lindsey District Council, Ian Knowles, Richard Lewis, Market Rasen Rotary president and the Mayor of Market Rasen, Cllr J Pilley.
Cllr Bunney, a former teacher became Chairman of West Lindsey District Council in May. He expressed his gratitude for those that came together for the festive celebration. He said:
“Thank you to everyone for being part of the service - it has been a nice evening. Hopefully, it brings the whole of the district and the whole of Market Rasen together, which we are very lucky to be able to do.”
The service led Cllr Bunney to reminisce on his school days, when the whole school would get up to sing the Hallelujah chorus. He said:
“The Hallelujah chorus has always meant a lot to me and I was so pleased the choir were able to perform that at the civic service. I would like to thank them for their excellent production and the excellent way they performed it because I think it’s added to the tone of the evening. I would also like to thank Revd. D Cotton in leading the service and Julian Aistrop for playing the organ.”
Anna Lawson, Clerk of Market Rasen Town Council said the event helped to kickstart the festivities in the town. She added:
“It was a wonderful service in a fabulous building and the Claxby Community Choir were incredible. It was great to see so many people from West Lindsey in Market Rasen.”
David Beer, Claxby Community Choir, accompaniment attended the event with his wife Karen who was the choir conductor. He said:
“It was a brilliant evening. We always wanted to perform here as it is a brilliant building. We were delighted that Cllr Bunney asked us to perform for his Civic Carol Service and his main request was for us to perform Hallelujah. The piano we used was from a grant from West Lindsey District Council, so it seems fitting.”
President of the Probus Club Nettleham and West Lindsey District Councillor, John Barratt said: “It is really good to see people from across West Lindsey at the event. It has been really good and Revd. David Cotton conducted a very good service.”
If you would like to invite the chairman to your event you can do so by completing our Invite the Chairman online form.
What does the Chairman do?
The Chairman of the Council is the civic and ceremonial head of the council who:
- presides over meetings of the council.
- upholds and promotes the purposes of the council’s constitution and interprets the constitution when necessary.
- promotes the efficient despatch of business giving due regard to the requirements of the council’s procedures, acknowledging the rights of councillors and the interests of the community.
- promotes the interests of the people of West Lindsey including their economic development requirements, through the processing of matters, in accordance with the principles and practise of modern democratic procedures.
- promotes public involvement in the council’s activities.
- attends such civic, ceremonial and community functions as they determine appropriate.