Mayor
MEET THE MAYOR
Councillor Matthew Street was re-elected Town Mayor for 2024-25 at the Annual Statutory Meeting held on 14th May 2024.
Message from the Mayor:
I am honoured to serve as Mayor for the wonderful town in which I live and work.
My wife and I moved to Crowborough in early 2007 with our three children and we soon fell in love with the town and surrounding area. Our children all attended pre-school and primary schools in the town and then went on to Beacon Academy, where I am currently Chair of the Local Governing Body. I was also a governor at Sir Henry Fermor primary school for eight years when they were younger.
I am fortunate to work within our wonderful town as the Branch Manager of Waitrose Crowborough and I enjoy being able to help local people, whether as customers or employees. In addition, I am an elected Director of the John Lewis Partnership Trust board which gives me an opportunity to work nationally in a well-loved company. My work within the town allows me to contribute through other means too, and I was a founding member of the Chamber of Commerce, a previous Chairperson of the Retailer’s Association and I have been a trustee of the local Foodbank since 2015.
I became a town councillor in 2010 and I am proud of what this council has achieved in that time for our residents. In my role as a councillor, I have been actively involved in committee activities – for the past 12 years I have been the Chairperson of the Communication and Events Committee which organises our town’s major events such as the annual firework display, Christmas Fair, Summer Fair, Boundary Walk and much more. I was also Deputy Mayor for a year which I hope has prepared me a little bit for this new role!
Outside of work and the council, I enjoy exploring Ashdown Forest and the wider East Sussex countryside with our family dog. I have been part of the Crowborough Players for a number of years, and I am a member of All Saints’ church.
I am delighted to have been elected Mayor for a second year. It is a real honour to continue to serve Crowborough in this role. It is also great to have the continued support of Deputy Mayor, Cllr Natalie Whittle.
I was pleased to raise over £6200 for my charities last year and I would like to thank everyone who helped me collect and gave so generously. I am continuing to support Friends of Crowborough Hospital as I want to raise more money for the vital services they provide for all residents in our town.
Last year I supported young people in the town by raising money for the 1st Crowborough Scouts and the maintenance of their headquarters. This year I am supporting more elderly residents by choosing The Good Company People as my second charity. They are a fairly new charity and already support 100s of people suffering with memory changes or dementia. They offer a large programme of events run by numerous volunteers. The money will specifically go to furnishing and equipping their “pop up” information centre which is currently situated in Chappells Pharmacy.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the coming year at the many events in the town that I attend. Again if you would like me to attend a specific event please do let the team know using the details below:
Inviting the Mayor to your event
The Mayor receives many invitations each year to attend various local events. Whilst it is not possible for him to accept every invitation, he does try to attend as many events as possible. If the Mayor is unable to attend, the Deputy Mayor might be able to attend in his place.
If you would like the support of the Town Mayor’s attendance at your function or event, please contact the Council Offices on 01892 652907 or email:
TownMayor@crowboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk
Full details of the event and the requested Mayor’s involvement can be submitted on the following attendance forms:
Rotherfield St Martin 20th Anniversary
The Mayor was honoured to be invited to the 20th anniversary of Rotherfield St Martin.
This wonderful organisation has made such a huge difference to the lives of so many older residents in Rotherfield and Crowborough.
It was also very special to hear that they have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service - very well deserved.
Taylor-Made Dreams Awards
The Mayor was delighted to be invited to the Taylor-Made Dreams Awards.
He said "It was wonderful to hear about the amazing work this charity does to support children with with life-limiting illnesses and their families in our community . I heard first hand how they meet the specific needs and desires of the children. It was extra special as the charity is celebrating 10 years".
The Mayor is pictured with their CEO and founder Suzi Mitchell and Patron John Bishop.
Crowborough Community First Responders Charity Event
The Mayor was honoured to speak at the Crowborough Community First Responders “Black Tie event” which was celebrating their 10 years as a charity.
Since becoming a charity, they have raised over £230K, trained over 1500 members of the public in life saving skills & placed 30 defibrillators around Crowborough which have been used numerous times to save lives.
The impact they have had on this town is simply incredible!
Beaver Scout Bronze Award
The Mayor was delighted to attend the 1st Crowborough Scouts Beavers meeting last week to present one of the Beavers with their Chief Scout's Bronze Award.
The Bronze Award is the highest achievement that a Beaver Scout can achieve and they are rarely given out so this is an amazing achievement!
High Weald Food Fair
The Mayor said how wonderful it was to open the first ever High Weald Food Festival at the Community Centre.
He was thrilled to receive a Mayoral inspired, fabric Gingerbread Man!
Ashdown Primary School
The Mayor was pleased to visit Ashdown Primary School to speak to the children about Crowborough and being the The Town Mayor.
Taylor-Made Dreams Art Exbn
The Mayor was pleased to be invited to a preview of Taylor-Made Dream's art exhibition.
The exhibition was open the the Crowborough community for an evening of art and nibbles and have a look at these wonderful paintings and prints.
The art was kindly donated by a local gallery to Taylor-Made Dreams, and being sold at a great discount. All money raised going towards the charity’s amazing work.
Apple Day
The Mayor was delighted to be invited to “Apple Day” at Crowborough Community Orchard.
Since Spring 2022 the orchard has been growing at a site which is part of Ashdown Primary School. The orchard produces organic fruit for the local community and the school also uses the site for forest school activities.
Local residents can also sponsor a tree to support the initiative, or just come to help.
Crowborough Connections Cafe
The Mayor was pleased to be invited to The Connections Cafe, which takes place every Friday afternoon at the Crowborough Community Centre.
Connections Cafe are are a non-profit group supporting people in Sussex with dementia, their families and carers. The Mayor was pleased to visit the Crowborough group, he gave a speech & invited questions, but the main entertainment of the afternoon was a great singer who encouraged everyone to have a dance.
Crowborough Hospital Fete
The Mayor opened the Crowborough Hospital Fete and commented; "the event is run by the Friends of Crowborough Hospital and was so well organised under the leadership of Anthony Shaw.
The charity does so much for the residents of Crowborough and I am proud that they are a Mayor’s charity for a second year".
W.I. 100th Birthday Party
The Mayor was delighted to be invited to and speak at the Crowborough St. Johns W.I. 100th Birthday Party
It was a very special celebration with poems, recollections, singing, proclamations and lots of food!
Allotment Competition Winners
The winners of the 2024 Allotment Competition were invited to the Council Chamber and the Mayor was delighted to present them with their prizes.
Canadian Memorial
The Mayor was honoured to lay a wreath at the 80th anniversary of the 9 Canadian soldiers who died when V1 bomb fell on their camp in Crowborough on 5th July 1944.
Intergenerational Art Workshop
The Mayor was pleased to attend the intergenerational art workshop at a local care home as part of #carehomeweek.
He enjoyed joining in and the morning brought many smiles to many faces!
Armed Forces Day
The Mayor was honoured to give an address at the Armed Forces Day event to highlight our support for all our Armed Forces.
Almshouse Charity 150 Anniversary Celebration
The Mayor was delighted to be invited to the 150th anniversary service of celebration of the Crowborough Almshouse Charity held at All Saints church.
Sussex Day Celebrations
The Mayor was pleased to attend the community Sussex Day celebration event.
D-DAY 80th Anniversary Commemoration
The Mayor was pleased to welcome the community to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings
Opening of the refurbished Jarvis Brook Playground
The Mayor was pleased to officially cut the ribbon and open the gate for the first visitor to enjoy this newly refurbished playground at Jarvis Brook.
All Saints Church Dog Show
The Mayor was pleased to present the Best In Show award at the Fun Dog show organised by All Saints Church Crowborough to a Dalmatian called Maxwell!
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Awards being presented at the Friends Of Crowborough Hospital AGM |
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The Sewing Crow-Bees receiving their Civic AwardThe Official Opening of the new Nature Reserve, Pocket Park |
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Woodlands Care Home celebrating, ‘ Care Home Open Week’, supporting this year’s theme of Connecting Communities.Students from Sir Henry Fermor C of E Primary School were also helping out, and it was great to see them having fun with the residents. |
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Armed Forces Day |
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Presenting awards at the Beacon Academy Honours Awards |
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Opening the 2023 Crowborough Hospital Fete |
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The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were pleased to open the 2023 Crowborough Bonfire and Carnival |
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The Mayor enjoyed opening the new Padel Tennis Courts at Crowborough Tennis and Squash Club in October 2023. |
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The Mayor enjoyed his recent visit to Ashdown Primary School to support their learning about local history. |
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The Mayor was proud to attend this year’s remembrance services. |
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The Mayor enjoyed joining in the festive fun at the 2023 Christmas Cracker Event |
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The Mayor enjoyed attending the Scout annual Carol Service at All Saints Church. |
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The Mayor really enjoyed having a small cameo part in the Crowborough Players’ wonderful panto “The Three Musketeers”. |
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The Mayor was pleased to unveil a commemorative bench on Chapel Green provided by the Crowborough & District Veterans & Supporters Association.The bench was commemorated to remember the tragic loss of life of Acting Flying Officer Donald James Catt and Miss Ella Coomber following a tragic crash of an aeroplane into a house in 1939. It was also in recognition of the contribution Mr Neville Stone B.E.M. made to the town. |
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The Mayor was pleased to present the Duke of Edinburgh awards at a presentation at Beacon Academy. |
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The Mayor was pleased to visit the Arts by the Green exhibition at All Saints Church along with some Town Councillors.They were impressed with the wide variety of creative talent on show by Crowborough residents. |
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The Mayor felt privileged to take part in two Citizenship Ceremonies in Crowborough with Christopher Nevill, Marquess of Abergavenny.They witnessed 20 people become citizens of the United Kingdom and after the event they joined them in a cup of tea hosted by the Mother’s Union. |
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The Mayor was pleased to attend the Crowborough and District Chamber of Commerce AGM to surprise Jeremy Woolger, (the former President and Chair of the Chamber); with a well deserved Citizens Award, in recognition of his significant contribution to the residents of Crowborough. |
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The Mayor was pleased to open the 2024 season for the Crowborough Miniature Railway and the model boating clubs at Goldsmiths on Good Friday.These attractions are such a popular part of Crowborough and the Mayor enjoyed taking part and meeting the enthusiastic volunteers, without whom the clubs would not exist! |
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The Mayor appreciated the opportunity to join in with the wonderful local charity, The Good Company People at their Tuesday Lunch Club.Lucy Buck has created a wonderful organisation that is helping so many local residents and The Town Council is pleased to be able to give them a grant to support their work over the coming year. |
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The Mayor was pleased to open the Crowborough Business Expo |
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The Mayor was proud to open proceedings at the Crowborough Town Meeting.As part of the meeting, he was pleased to present a Civic Award to Sheila Williams for outstanding services to Girl Guides in Crowborough and the surrounding area for over 56 years.He was also delighted to announce that the people of Crowborough have raised over £6,000 for his two chosen charities, Friends of Crowborough Hospital and 1st Crowborough Scouts during the past year.At the Town Meeting, the Mayor presented representatives from both charities with a cheque for over £3,100 each. |
If you would like the Mayor to present a bouquet of flowers to a resident of Crowborough as they turn 100 years old, please complete the form below and return it to TownMayor@crowboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk . If the Mayor is unavailable, the Deputy Mayor will attend wherever possible.
Congratulations to Paddy Dauncey
Congratulations to Ellen Frazer
Congratulations to Liz Thompson
Congratulations to Mrs Rowland
