Tenby Civic Society held it’s AGM recently, with the original date in April 2020, cancelled due to the Covid lockdown.

Society Chairman Clr. Trevor Hallett opened the meeting taking the first item which was the election of the Society’s President.

Incumbent Caroline Thomas had been nominated again and was re-elected. She then chaired the meeting.

Treasurer Albie Smosarski explained that due to the Covid gap between AGMs he was presenting certified accounts for both 2019 and 2020.

The annual report of the Society’s activities for 2019 was adopted, with members pleased with the activities carried out.

The following officers had been nominated and were adopted - Trevor Hallett as Chairman; Howard Rawson Humphries as Vice Chairman; Albie Smosarski as Treasurer; and Anne Draper as Secretary.

Neil Westerman, Harry Gardiner, Chris Osborne, Keith Clarke and Edna Greenhalgh were adopted as committee members.

Under ‘any other business’ members expressed thanks and appreciation to - the volunteers for the continued maintenance of Allens View; Neil Westerman for his work on behalf of the Society to maintain, improve or (at the moment) to restore rail and bus services for Tenby.

Neil pointed out that Kate Telford was inviting all South Pembrokeshire Community Councils to participate in a Pembrokeshire Transport Forum to press for better services.

Thanks went to the Titterton family of Crackwell Street for their adoption and maintenance of the garden aspect of Brother Thomas’ Garden on Crackwell Street (its’ state had been a concern for a number of years).

A member regretted the lack of trips in the town for members; and asked could these resume as circumstances allow?

There being no other business the Chairman closed the formal part of the AGM and welcomed the Mayor of Tenby, Clr. Mrs. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, who presented her talk ‘Being Mayor in a time of Covid’.

She said it was an unaccustomed, unusual pleasure to ‘put a smart frock’ on as well as her chain of office, for a live meeting.

Her time as Mayor had started with preparations for the Mayor Making ceremony and the Mayor’s Ball, but the sudden onset of the Covid lockdown meant they had to be suspended and arrangements found instead, so the Town Council could function over the lockdown.

She said the pressing need was not for a ceremony but to get on with supporting the town.

She had to learn new skills -running Town Council meeting via each councillor’s computers, so a simple Mayor Making ceremony was held using Zoom

The Facebook page Tenby Together was set up, using staff and volunteers to identify needs and deliver help and support.

Lots of quiet behind the scenes support was involved, with financial support to voluntary groups with sanitizing and distancing issues to solve.

Vandalism emerged in new ways as a problem, and £1,500 was raised through crowd-funding to help sort out the thefts and damage at the Dennis Café, the RNLI Lifeboat Station, and the Shipwreck Mariners Society Charity Box.

The first unlocking of restrictions brought new challenges.

First ITV wanted a live interview, then Radio Wales asked for a series of interviews, including at 6 am! The radio contacts were used repeatedly to broadcast the message to potential visitors - ‘If you can’t behave, don’t come! Please respect our community, businesses and people.’

Constant contact was needed with personnel in the County Council and the Police, and personal contacts there were needed to raise problems and achieve solutions.

Then came Wally the walrus to cheer up Tenby!

Remembrance Sunday had to be a small Ceremony, and the VJ Day Anniversary was similarly simple.

All sorts of events had to be cancelled but the Mayor got a Father Christmas outfit on and despite the pouring rain managed to do a Christmas tour as Santa round the Town in her ‘sleigh’.

The April relaxation produced the serious disturbance down in the harbour meaning she and Clr. Mike Evans had to call in the police urgently.

Liaison with the Police and the County Council helped prevent a recurrence of the disturbance and damage as the main season came and went.

She was proud to be a ’ Tenby-ite’ and grateful to work alongside Trevor Hallett and Caroline Thomas, with all their experience.

She finished by wondering was the Mayor’s function mainly ceremonial or was there also a need to look to the future of the Town?

Members raised a number of questions about the problems of traffic and pedestrians mixing in the old town even in periods before and after the pedestrianisation scheme.

The Mayor pointed out that that the numbers of in season visitors meant conditions for traffic had to be different, and pedestrianisation could be extended earlier to fit visitor numbers.

The meeting shared the Town Council’s concerns about the problems of holiday let visitors dumping their rubbish in the wrong places and the Mayor said that TTC were actively pursuing this to get a proper process observed.

She and Jim Cornwall enjoyed recalling the time they donned their robes of office (his as Town Crier) and walked to Tudor Square, Clr. Cornwell proclaiming in his loudest Town Crier voice their request for everyone to maintain ‘social distancing’.

Members clearly were grateful to the Mayor for her work and for her sincerity and clarity and chairman Hallett thanked her and brought the meeting to a close.