Madam,

May I offer our thanks to Cllr Mair Benjamin and her happy band of willing helpers for organising the wonderful birthday party celebration for the Queen’s birthday, held at the new bandstand in Aberystwyth.

Up and down the country, communities have been planning parties to mark the long reign of the monarch and so I was surprised to learn that, until a few weeks ago, we had no plans to do so in Aberystwyth.

We are especially grateful to Cllr Benjamin for grasping the opportunity to arrange this great community get-together that was attended by so many townsfolk and visitors.

Our MP Mark Williams opened the event and we enjoyed the talents of a wide range of entertainers during the course of the day, including the rhythm of the Samba drummers; the fabulous Hicksters; the wonderfully harmonious Scarmony Youth Choir, the nimble Abbatak street dancers and the magical talents of a great compere, Paul Edwards. The weather was kind to us and a great party atmosphere soon developed.

We had all the tea and cake we could possibly want and the brilliant Aber Swing gave the more nimble ones among us the opportunity to join in the dancing.

It was a shame that the clash with the county show meant that no other representatives of the town council were present to enjoy the fun and lend their support to two great charities which directly help local people - namely Mind and the Food Bank.

Well done Cllr Benjamin, what a great showcase for the talents of the people of Aberystwyth. Can I book you now for my 90th birthday party?

Yours etc

Geraldine Taylor

Y Buarth

Aberystwyth.