AS the acting chairman of the Great Malvern Association of Traders, I would like to take the opportunity to say how fantastic an event the Olympic Torch Relay was.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Great Malvern so full of people, or looking as colourful as it did. I hope all who came to see the historic moment enjoyed it as much as I did.

A special thank you must go to all the traders who gave up their evenings to blow up 2012 gold balloons and hand them out on the morning. Belle Vue Terrace was a sea of gold and it made for an amazing spectacle.

I would also like to pass on my thanks to MHDC and the police who marshalled everything perfectly. The way they interacted with the crowds was fantastic, and they certainly need to be given a great deal of credit for the fabulous atmosphere created.

And lastly I would like to give a big thank you to the children from the Chase High School orchestra who played beautifully all morning for the crowds and the Dance in Motion cheerleaders and cheerbees with their gold pom-poms who made the occasion even more glittering.

I now look forward to the many wonderful events being held in Great Malvern this Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend. With the food festival and Jubilee parade on Saturday, Bands in Priory Park on Sunday and with an arts market in the Priory grounds, picnics in Priory Park and what is set to be a spectacular 1950s themed street party on Belle Vue Terrace on the Bank Holiday Monday, there has never been a more exciting time to visit the town, and we have never been more proud to be part of it.

CHRIS MARKS,
Chairman, Great Malvern Association of Traders