Mayor of St Neots Cllr Richard Slade on half marathon

Autumn is an exciting time for us all, and once the clocks change, mayors across the country start to prepare for remembrance, fireworks, and Christmas.

It’s no different for us in St Neots with our annual remembrance parade, service and laying of wreaths to honour and remember those we have lost in war.

I had the privilege of joining the parade alongside the air and army cadets, guides, scouts, veterans and military associations just to name a few.

It was especially poignant for me this year as I wore my grandfather’s medals and gave a reading at the service.

This month I was at 45 different meetings, events, services and other civic events, it’s the highest for the year so far and has left me feeling a bit exhausted.

My spirits were lifted last weekend though with three days of culture and sport. On Friday the mayoress and I, along with two former St Neots mayors and partners went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The fantastic adaption was put on by VAMPS of St Neots and held in St Neots Parish Church.

It is the first time the church has been used as a theatre and the perfect backdrop for this wonderful immersive performance.

The performers were joined by a choir and orchestra that used the full acoustic brilliance of the church.

The Mayor with the cast and crew of VAMPS of St Neots at their show of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. (Image: Councillor Richard Slade) Saturday, we watched the premier of Assassination, a play by the St Neots Players which dramatised a true account of the murder of a British Prime Minister by local resident John Bellingham.

Finally, on Sunday the big day had arrived and the chance to run my first half-marathon. 

Luckily the sun shone, twelve weeks of training paid off and I eventually crossed the finish line in 966th place.

Councillor Becky supporting the mayor as he reaches the finish line at the St Neots Half Marathon. (Image: Councillor Richard Slade) I couldn’t have done it without the support and kindness of fellow runners councillors Becky and Ben, and officers Andrew and Lucy.

Your generous donations have added nearly £700 to the mayor’s charity. This takes the total fund to over £7,000.

I’ve now swapped my shoes for a bike and back to training for an epic 543km cycle to Cornwall in May 2025.

The work to restore and improve the surface of the ramps at St Neots Skatepark has now been completed and it was great to meet up with Sam and Chris who were the driving force behind the project.

The Mayor at the official opening of independent charity shop Pink Rooster with the founders, Andrea and Dave with the team. (Image: Councillor Richard Slade)

This month two new independent shops opened their doors on our high street and I popped along to Church Walk to officially open one of them — Pink Rooster, a shop that specialises in selling retro, upcycled and vintage goods to raise money for their charity.

Their purpose is to improve the health and well-being of people in the local area, especially those with dementia.

This weekend was due to be our annual Christmas lights switch but I'm afraid Storm Bert had other plans and like many other towns we had to cancel our outdoor festivities.

The indoor events still went ahead and there was a great atmosphere at the four venues across the town. In the run up to Christmas the council have lots of workshops and events planned so keep an eye out for updates on our website.