Your Local Independent 205

Page 10 March 2026 AD SALES 01204 478812 Sunday, January 11 I WAS invited to join the Talkin Tables team to officially launch their newest table at Horwich Lei- sure Centre. We were joined by local residents, the table lead- ers, area coordinators and Majorie Haryward, the founder of Talkin Tables herself. It was inspiring to hear how, what started off as an idea to get people out of their homes following Covid, has now become a worldwide support system! With tables in Cyprus and India, this is just the beginning of bigger things to come. The team at Talkin Tables should be incredi- bly proud of the work they are doing. Something so simple as an hour of chat over a cup of tea can break the lonely spell that many of our commu- nity suffer silently with. There are several tables in Horwich and one in Blackrod, they are completely free to attend and you can just pop along if you are interested. Friday, January 23 TONIGHT, I had the pleasure of attending the mayor of Chorley’s Burn’s Night Dinner and Ceilidh char- ity fundraiser at the Chorley Town Hall. The night was non-stop entertainment, starting with the haggis being piped in, to a lively auc- tion and finally lots and lots of dancing! It was an extremely enjoyable evening and all in support of the mayor’s chosen charities. Thursday, February 5 TODAY saw the results of another long-term goal of Hor- wich Town Council – the installation of a 24/7 publicly accessi- ble defibrillator. Last year, a local resi- dent attended a meeting of Horwich Town Coun- cil to tell us her personal experience of needing a defibrillator whilst on a night out. As she moves towards the end of her year in office, Horwich town mayor Victoria Rigby gives us the latest update on her role representing our community 10 11 Monday Tuesday The Mayor’s Diary COMMUNITY INITIATIVES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE Lydia suffered a car- diac arrest outside a bar in June 2025. Whilst there are many defibril- lators in the town centre, almost all of them are inside shops which were not open at the time. Fortunately, Lydia was surrounded by people who knew how to help and they were able to carry out CPR until med- ical assistance arrived. This terrifying inci- dent inspired her to find a way to have more defi- brillators installed in the town centre. Horwich Town Centre was delighted to be able to fund a new defibrilla- tor and teamed up with Chill @ The Cowshed to have it installed on Win- ter Hey Lane. Personally, I am so pleased we have been able to complete this project. I hope it is some- thing that never has to be used but it is a com- fort to know that, should the worse ever happen, this really could be the difference between life and death. was to know about Hor- wich, and they have very kindly proven me so wrong! In the evening, I had the pleasure of attend- ing the mayor of West- houghton’s charity ball. Joined by the mayors of Blackrod and Bolton, plus members of the Westhoughton council and local community, we had a fantastic evening with delicious food and great entertainment. The evening was a real success with the mayor raising more than £1,400 for her chosen charities: Westhoughton Assist Service and The Hoggery. Friday February 27 I WAS invited to join Horwich Her- itage and Horwich Rotary Club to com- memorate the 68th anniversary of the Winter Hill air crash. The service was led by Rotarian David Griffiths followed by of speeches from Horwich Heritage and Horwich Rotary Club. It was a moving memo- rial and highlighted the importance of not only remembering those who sadly passed away, but also the incredible efforts by our emergency services and the people of Horwich and surround- ing areas who came out to help on that tragic day. FridayMarch 6 I ATTENDED the mayor of Bolton’s Grand Charity Ball, a wonderful occasion bringing together members of the com- munity all for fan- tastic causes: Bolton Wanderers in the Com- munity, Bolton NHS Critical Care Unit and Westhoughton Assist. Future Events IT seems unbelievable to think that my time as mayor is soon com- ing to an end. How- ever, before I hand the chains over, there is still time for one last celebration! On Saturday March 28, I will be hosting a charity dinner: ‘A Cel- ebration of Horwich’ at Rivington Hall Barn to raise funds for the char- ities Fortalice, Horwich Foodshare and Teenage Cancer Trust. For tickets, please con- tact the Town Clerk via townclerk@horwich.gov. uk, or send me a mes- sage through my Face- book page. Saturday February 21 ONCE again, I had the honour to have the opportunity to open another fan- tastic exhibition at Horwich Heritage: ‘Famous Horwichers’. This exhibition cel- ebrates the best part of Horwich: the peo- ple! For a small town, we have such a diverse range of talent that has been taken far beyond our boundaries and received the recognition it deserves! Looking round the exhibition taught me so much about our town’s wonderful people. There were some, like Jenny Ryan from The Chase, that I knew was of Bol- ton origin, but I never realised she came from Horwich! This was my final exhibition opening at the centre as mayor, and so I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the team at Horwich Heritage for being so wel- coming to me. I naively thought I knew all there