Taking 'pride' in Chippenham

Now, I fully appreciate the old saying: “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.”But it’s disappointing to see, on several occasions in the past few weeks, continued criticism of efforts made by the Town Council to support small, thoughtful gestures—acts that are aimed at improving the experience of life in Chippenham.

We all understand that, right now, the financial ability to do significant things—whether at local or national level—is severely constrained. That’s why we need to take collective pride in the small things we can do, and the small positives they may bring.

Let me give you some examples.

One is the Council’s decision to hang colourful, seasonal banners across the High Street. The reaction on social media was, unfortunately, quite negative—calling it a waste of money.

Then we have the Pride Festival—an event that brings a weekend of activity to the town and creates opportunities for local businesses to host events, boosting their trade and contributing to the local economy. Again, some of the comments were that the Town Council was too focused on supporting this event and trying to make it a success.

And perhaps most disappointingly, while recently walking my dog in John Coles Park, I went over to look at the stone chess tables—installed, I believe, as a legacy of former Mayor Declan Baseley. I thought how lovely it would be to sit and play chess there with my eldest son, who’s recently taken an interest in the game—only to discover the tables had been covered in graffiti.

All of this contributes to the impression that we are failing to take collective pride in our town.

To me, the tone and culture of a town is shaped by the people who live there. We can all think of places where even the residents speak negatively about the town—perhaps even the place they were born. That, to me, feels like an admission of defeat when it comes to building a positive, aspirational community.

That sense of pride sets the mission statement for what a town is all about. If Chippenham is to be the friendly, aspirational and positive place I hope it can be, then it’s up to all of us, as individual residents, to bring that attitude and energy.

That means supporting efforts made in the best interests of the town—big or small—and understanding that improvements are incremental. They’re the sorts of things we can realistically do at our level to make this a more pleasant place for both residents and visitors.

And each of us can contribute to that in our own way. It doesn’t require wealth—it’s about belief in the small things: Keeping the front of our homes presentable. Doing a bit of gardening when the sun shines. Picking up litter when we see it. Calling out vandalism or graffiti. These little actions all help to build a better environment.

So my call to action is this: let’s all take a bit more pride in Chippenham.