Thank You, Haywards Heath

What a day. Town Day has come and gone, and I am still buzzing from it.

When we set out to launch Our Town Our Story at Town Day, we hoped people would stop by, say hello, and maybe share a story or two. What we got was so much more than that, and I want to take a moment to say thank you, properly, to everyone who made it happen.

Thank you to every individual who stopped at our stand, told us a memory of this town, or simply took the time to ask what we were about. This project only works because people like you are willing to share a piece of your life with us, and on Saturday you did that in your hundreds.

Thank you to the organisations who turned out in force. The Scouts and Girl Guides brought energy and enthusiasm all day long. The Army Reserves gave the whole event a real sense of occasion. And to the priests and pastors from so many of our local churches, thank you for standing alongside us and showing what a genuinely joined-up town looks like.

And yes, we even heard from the oldest resident of Haywards Heath. A T-Rex, no less, who took time out of his very busy schedule to share his story with Our Town Our Story and the Mayor. Not every town can say that.

I want to give a special mention to Alistair McDermid, who sat with us for over twenty minutes telling stories of growing up in Haywards Heath. Alistair, your memories are exactly why we started this project, and I cannot wait for more people to hear them.

Thank you to our Town Mayor, Duncan Pascoe, for his continued support and for being such a champion of this project from the very start. And a huge thank you to Paul Stanworth, who did a brilliant job as MC for the day and who also shared his own story with us on stage. Paul, that took courage, and it set the tone for everything that followed.

Town Day showed us what this project can be. Now we need you to help us make it real.

If you have a story about Haywards Heath, we want to hear it. Head to the website and send it in. If you would like to get more involved, we would love to have you, whether that is volunteering your time, helping us gather stories from friends and neighbours, or lending a hand running our tea and coffee chat sessions.

This is Our Town, and it is Our Story. Thank you for making Saturday one to remember, and thank you in advance for what comes next.

Matt