Marlborough’s jubilee celebrations get off to a colourful start

Marlborough’s jubilee celebrations got off to a colourful start with a red, white and blue themed ball on Saturday. The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce Olympic Jubilee Ball was timed to celebrate not only the diamond jubilee, but also the arrival of the Olympic flame, which will pass along Marlborough High Street on Wednesday.

Around 100 members of the business community donned black ties and ball gowns to enjoy a slap-up meal and music by Echo.

The event was also an opportunity to raise awareness of, and money for, Swift Medics, a charity of volunteer doctors from hospital and general practice who provide what is known as ‘pre-hospital emergency care’.

The Medics provide emergency care at the scene of serious road traffic accidents and other life threatening medical emergencies including falls from a height, serious burns and incidents where casualties are unconscious or trapped.

A charity auction made over £1,200, while a raffle – with a top prize of £250 of John Lewis vouchers – raised a further £850.

Auctioneer Marc Anderson of Kidson Trigg coaxed bids out party-goers during the auction, including over £300 for a tour of the iconic Lloyds of London building and meal for four in the city, courtesy of the High Sheriff of Wiltshire Robert Hiscox.

Wembley tickets and a golf day were also among the top lots, while a year’s advertising in Marlborough News Online achieved a hammer price of £160.

After the event, Marlborough Chamber president Paul Shimell, who co-organised the event with committee member Effie Robins, of Joules, and presented a toast to the Queen after the meal, said: “Everybody said what a great night it was. There were loads of people and I’ve never seen a crowd jump to the dance floor so quickly when the band came on – everybody was dancing.”

The next big events in the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce calendar are a summer golf day, where seasoned golfers will play 18 holes while beginners spend time with a professional learning how to chip and putt, and the Autumn Fashion Show, which attracted a capacity audience when it was staged for the first time last yea