Director of Neotists Richard Slade was elected as Mayor of St Neots in May 2024 and has been writing a regular column for the Hunts Posts since then. For those who don’t get the paper delivered or subscribe we it thought it would be useful for members to  read about it too.

By Richard Slade

My April was super busy — I attended over 35 meetings and events across St Neots, including a lovely celebration of Huntingdonshire Day on 25 April, a date chosen to mark the birthday of Oliver Cromwell.

The Mayoress and I attended the VAMPS performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and it goes without saying that this was another amazing show — with incredible acting, sound, lighting and music, all framed by the beautiful backdrop of St Neots Parish Church.

I also had the pleasure of opening a new shop on the Market Square: Repertoire Reformer, an exciting new Pilates studio run by Amber, a local gym instructor and Pilates expert. I’m delighted to see another independent business open in our town — and even had a go on the equipment, which was much needed after a long cycle that day.

Later, I headed to the other end of the High Street and the Chaii Hub Café to wish them a happy second anniversary. We were welcomed by Sunny, the team, and a packed café — the team all looked so smart in their traditional clothing. It was a lovely celebration with music and dancing, and I couldn’t resist having a go. You have been warned — it was filmed.

The following day, the Mayoress and I attended the Citizenship Ceremony at New Shire Hall. This was my second time attending, but it was a particularly special occasion as St Neots Town Council officer Andrew and his wife Liza were there to receive their official citizenship. It was an honour to be present with them, alongside the Chair of the County Council and one of our region’s Deputy Lieutenants.

I also popped in to meet the team at the new day care centre at The Eaton Grove Community, and alongside operations director Zachary Dawson, we officially opened the facility.

Each week for the last six months I’ve been checking in with our colleagues working on redeveloping the Market Square, and with the work nearing completion, I grabbed a quick photo with one of the team, Mark Hansard, who was giving the statues of monks a fresh coat of paint. These sculptures were first installed in the 1970s and needed to be moved — so they’ve been cleverly incorporated into the new design.

It was a pleasure to be invited to open St Neots Museum’s new digitisation project. I’d highly recommend popping in to see the new immersive displays — from the transport area and Edwardian cell to the redesigned childhood section, now complete with interactive tablets, a refreshed reception screen, and innovative digital storytelling.

Last Friday, I attended a Huntingdonshire Day event in Hinchingbrooke, organised by the District Council to mark the day and celebrate the 100 local organisations they’ve helped fund. Through the council’s four grant-giving funds, they’ve supported many projects — and we heard directly from some about the positive impact this has had across the district.

The following Monday, it was lovely to attend the retirement party for Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum, and reconnect with many of the same people from the Friday event. It really highlighted just how many amazing, positive, community-minded people we have in this region. It was great to chat with Julie and hear about all the work she’s done in the voluntary sector over the last 17 years.

Finally, a quick trip to launch the 1st St Neots Scouts Beer Festival on Friday — and some liquid courage ahead of my big event of the year: the charity cycle to Cornwall. As you read this, I’ve hopefully completed the 285-mile journey to the village of St Neot and reached my goal of raising £10,000 for my chosen charities.