Author: Amy Bromage

BLOSSOM TOUR COMING TO THE THREE COUNTIES SHOWGROUND THIS APRIL

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

This April Malvern Town Council are pleased to bring an all-new blossom tour at the Three Counties Showground in aid of Malvern Special Families.

On 22 April from 14:00 to 15:30 Helen Williams from the Three Counties Agricultural Society will be leading a tour around the vast orchards at the Three Counties Showground as they come into full bloom and blossom.

The tour will cover a variety of topics, including but not limited to the national collection of perry pear trees, discovering the origin story of Stinking Bishop cheese and its link with the Three Counties Showground, while participants will also hearing about other unusual names, sayings and local legends whilst we touring the trees in blossom against the stunning backdrop of the Malvern Hills.

Helen Williams, Orchard Tour Guide, Three Counties Showground said, “I’m really looking forward to giving visitors a rare glimpse of our National Collection of perry pear trees. The tour offers a wonderful opportunity to step into the living history of the Three Counties and discover the fascinating names and folklore behind our perry pear varieties. Our collection brings together rare and unique trees, some found only in single villages, and there’s no better time to experience them than in blossom, set against the stunning backdrop of the Malvern Hills.”

Linda Blake, Malvern Town Council, said, “We are delighted to be working with the Three Counties Showground to bring this new and innovative tour to the residents of Malvern whilst still raising money for the mayor’s chosen charity, Malvern Special Families.”

Tickets are available now for £5 per person from the Malvern Town Council website via https://www.malverntowncouncil.org/event/blossom-trail/, with all funds going to support Malvern Special Families.

MAYORS PEAKS CHALLENGE IS BACK FOR 2026

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

Malvern Town Council is thrilled to announce that the Mayor’s Peaks Challenge sponsored by Vertu Motors and ZXLidars is returning for 2026 in aid of the Mayor’s chosen charity, Malvern Special Families.

Enjoy the magnificent beauty of the Malvern Hills on 2 May as part of the Mayor’s Peaks Challenge. This challenge will see participants take on either the long walk from Bromsberrow of 18km (approximately 12 miles) or the shorter walk from the car park at British Camp of 9km (approximately 6 miles) across the Malvern Hills, with both walks finishing in Rose Bank Gardens. All walkers will receive a sustainable medal, t-shirt and free transport to the start of each of the walks.

Walkers and their dog friends are both welcomed to the hills, with all registered dogs receiving a dog treat bag and rosette for completing the walk, proudly sponsored by Austin & Co.

Mayor of Malvern Marilyn Birks commented “I’m thrilled to be launching the Mayor’s Peaks Challenge for 2026 with all monies raised going to Malvern Special Families my chosen charity this year. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to take the challenge of walking either the long or short walk, it’s going to be such fun and don’t forget that your dog is also welcome to come and walk with you. I want to extend my thanks to Vertu Motors and ZXLidars for sponsoring our t-shirts and medals as well as to Austin & Co for supplying the doggy rewards. The support of our wonderful sponsors means that all the money raised will go to Malvern Special Families.”  

If walking isn’t your thing, then join Malvern Town Council and Malvern Special Families for an afternoon in Rose Bank Gardens to welcome the walkers back with live entertainment along with fun family friendly activities.

Tickets for both walks are available now from the Malvern Town Council website, with the long walk costing £22 and the short walk costing £17. Travel is provided to the start of both walks, as well as an event t-shirt to walk in.

Tickets can be booked via https://www.malverntowncouncil.org/event/mayors-peaks-challenge-2026-in-aid-of-malvern-special-families/  (Early bird tickets end Midnight, 28 April 2026)

Malvern Celebrates LGBTQIA+ Life Stories this February!

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

Malvern LGBTQ+ Life Stories is a short film made by Mobilise Arts in partnership with Malvern Pride for LGBTQ+ History Month in memory of Nick Houghton former Mayor of Malvern and Founder of Pride who passed away in December 2024.

This project has been led by Malvern-based queer writer, director and producer, Dr Hannah Phillips alongside local queer photographer and videographer Rachel Jones.

We thank our partners and allies Malvern District Council, Severn Arts, Malvern Theatres and Malvern Town Council for funding and supporting this community project.

Phillips said “Diverse forms of love, identity and family have always existed but LGBTQ+ stories are often left out of history or rewritten. Malvern LGBTQIA+ locals have shared their own queer life stories and journeys that began or brought them to the hills. Stories characterised by resilience, a quest for authenticity and love. We celebrate our community in Malvern this LGBT History Month.”

“We have made the bold decision to be visible all year round over the next couple of years. Further engagement and meaningful cultural projects with our LGBTQIA+ community here in Malvern working in partnership with Malvern Theatres, Malvern Town Council and Malvern District Council. Partnership working is key in this difficult climate. This also gives us time to fundraise. Pride is a free event and so we are always looking for sponsors.”

Tickets can be found here – https://malvern-theatres.co.uk/event/malvern-lgbtq-lifestories/

Links to other resources relating to LGBTQ+ History Month:
Stonewall – https://www.stonewall.org.uk/resources/lgbtq-hubs/lgbt-history-month
LGBTQ+ History Month (Schools Out) – https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/
Malvern Pride – https://www.instagram.com/prideinmalvern/?hl=en
Unison – https://www.unison.org.uk/about/what-we-do/fairness-equality/lgbt/lgbt-history/

SUCCESSFUL WHITE RIBBON DAY FOR MALVERN TOWN COUNCIL

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

Malvern Town Council successfully marked White Ribbon Day on Tuesday 25 November 2025 with a number of online talks, panel discussions and presentations.  

Malvern Town Council agreed to become a White Ribbon Supporter Organisation in March 2025, and later in the year, plans were made to hold an event to mark White Ribbon Day. White Ribbon Day is an annual international day that encourages men to speak out against violence against women and girls. The aim is to address the root causes of men’s violence against women, to encourage them to set a better example and to create a world where everyone is safe equal and respected.

Throughout the day a variety of videos from different organisations were shared virtually for people to view. This included a special two part discussion panel video hosted by Deputy Mayor Cllr Josephine Leibrandt. The panel included representatives from local charities who all have experience in dealing with aspects of violence against women and girls.  Panel members included Jo Rae, Worcestershire Community Trust JOY project lead – representing Worcestershire Community Trust DAWN project, Hannah Cooper, Early Intervention and Prevention Services Manager at WMRSASC, Helen Richardson, Head of Client Services West Mercia Women’s Aid, Billie Chacksfield, Domestic Abuse Champions Project and Community Engagement Lead and they were joined by Councillor Marilyn Birks, Mayor of Malvern and Cllr Emma Green, Malvern Town Councillor and lead for the White Ribbon Day event. The panel explored a variety of pertinent issues and looked at the involvement of local charities in support of this initiative.

Cllr Emma Green says, “I am very proud that Malvern Town Council has decided to mark White Ribbon Day this year. This online event was a new initiative for the Council, and I really hope that the resources that were shared during the day will help and support the people within Malvern. It has been fantastic to see how many views these videos have already had, and I would encourage everyone to join us retrospectively as the videos can still be viewed online.”

All the White Ribbon Day videos can still be viewed on the Malvern Town Council’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwU5krJ-qXnMcieybjOIawgVWoRpYVWu_

MALVERN TOWN COUNCIL AWARED HIGHLY AT THE HEART OF ENGLAND IN BLOOM AWARDS 2025

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

Malvern Town Council attended The Heart of England in Bloom Awards at the Three Counties Showground on Tuesday 21 October, with seven representatives from the Malvern Team attending.

After the judging took place in July 2025, Malvern Town Council are delighted to announce not only were we awarded the Gold Award, but Malvern also took the large town category win of the Heart of England in Bloom 2025, which seemed fitting with the awards taking place in the shadow of the Malvern Hills.

The award was collected by the Mayor of Malvern, Cllr Marilyn Birks, along with Lyndsey Davies and Grahame Gibbons, who have been spearheading the Town’s entry for many years. This is a huge accolade and very well deserved for the hard-working team behind the scenes.

The Mayor, Cllr Marilyn Birks, was absolutely delighted to be able to pick up the award and extended her thanks to the hard-working team behind the success. Hopefully, the people of Malvern will be able to enjoy the benefits of all of the work that goes into making this a winning entry.  

The Town Clerk, Linda Blake, said, ‘This category win is very well deserved by the team of hard-working staff at Malvern Town Council, alongside the excellent team of volunteers and staff from partnership organisations. This award represents far more than just a one-day judging visit; it is a year of planning, many years of project and asset development and a year of maintaining Malvern to the highest standards.’

Malvern will now go forward and represent the region in the Britain of Bloom Awards.

The Mayor’s Bonanza has raised £1700 for Malvern Special families over the bank hoilday weekend.

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

Malvern Town Council are thrilled to announce that the Mayor’s Bonanza raised £1,700 for Malvern Special Families.

The Mayor’s Bonanza returned to Victoria Park on the 23 August 2025 in aid of Malvern Special Families. This event run by Malvern Town Council provided a day packed full of entertainment and activities all while raising money for the Mayor’s charity this year, £1700 were raised an amazing achievement and money that will be spent supporting a worthy cause.

The event saw large crowds join us at Victoria Park, Malvern Link to come and enjoy an afternoon filled with live entertainment from bands to local dance performers from the talented students at Dance in Motion and Amelia K Academy, plenty of activities for all the family including inflatable obstacle course and base jump, climbing wall, face painting, dart football and fete stalls. Plus, a food and drink village being supplied by local businesses providing much need refreshments throughout the afternoon.

CEO, Malvern Special Families Gareth Jones said “The Mayor’s Bonanza was the first event since Malvern Special Families was chosen to be Malvern Town Council Mayor Marilyn Birks Charity of the year 2025/2026 and what a fantastic occasion it was. Mayor Marilyn and the whole events team at Malvern Town Council putting on such a fabulous variety of entertainment, stalls and refreshments it ensured all our families and children who attended had a fantastic time. Events such as this mean so much to Malvern Special families. The incredible amount raised goes to provide much needed activities and trips for the children we support who otherwise do not get the chance to enjoy what other children of their age get to enjoy. Also just as important it gives us the chance to showcase what we do to the community and the community the chance to show their support.  There are so many people to thank for making the day so exciting and productive, Mayor Marilyn Birks, the events team, all the brilliant entertainers, the army of volunteers, stall holders and food stands but most of all the members of the public who showed up is such numbers and were so supportive of what we do. On behalf of all the children at Malvern Special Families I thank them all.”

Thank you to everyone who supported the Mayor’s Bonanza on Saturday 23 August and for helping raise this huge total for Malvern Special Families. 

Mayor’s Bonanza returns for 2025..

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

The Mayor’s Bonanza is back and bigger than ever in aid of Malvern Special Families!!

📅 23 August 2025

⌚ 11:30 until 5pm

📍 Victoria Park, Malvern Link, WR14 2JY

The Mayor’s Bonanza is back and bigger than ever! This year raising money for Malvern Special Families.

Join us at Victoria Park from 11:30am for a day filled with live entertainment, all new inflatables for 2025 including a base jump and obstacle course, axe throwing, dart football plus many others. (some of the inflatables will require a small charge*) We also have some great fete stalls where every person is guaranteed a prize from a coconut shy, splat a rat and Ring toss which will be fun for all the family.

If inflatables aren’t your thing don’t worry, we have a mini sports day starting at 13:30 and a fancy dress competition from 15:15 with a prize for the 2 best dressed! We will also have face painting and a dance workshop all completely free of charge.

Not only that but will have local food, drink and sweet companies for you to enjoy alongside a host of live entertainment from Candy and the Sound, The Institutions, local dance schools and the i-sing choir will be back.

There is also a raffle on the day with prizes including a family trip to Twycross Zoo, Little Olives playday session, 2 family tickets to the Worcester Maize Maize plus much more up for grabs at only £5 a strip.

So what are you waiting for come down to the Mayor’s Bonanza 2025 at Victoria Park, Malvern Link and help us raise as much money for Malvern Special Families as possible*.

*Please be aware that all money raised at the event will go to the Malvern Special Families charity.

UPDATE REGARDING ILLEGAL ENCAMPMENT AT VICTORIA PARK, Statement from the Mayor of Malvern

Posted on | by Amy Bromage

I am happy to say that illegal encampment at Victoria Park was moved on Friday (4 July) evening by Malvern police after a heighten number of calls regarding anti-social behaviour.  

It has been a tense week for all involved including our community, and I can assure residents and businesses that Malvern Town Council did its utmost to find ways to remove the illegal encampment off our site at Victoria Park prior to Friday. Unfortunately we had to follow legal protocol and on Friday morning had put measures in place to act via a court order to evict, but thankfully in the end the Police did step in and placed an order to vacate that evening.

I want to thank the Malvern Town Council Operations team, who have done a fantastic job tidying up the mess that the illegal encampment had left at Victoria Park. Their work has ensured that the park is safe for the community to use again.

At the weekend, I was pleased to see the playground full of little ones, games of rounders taken place and dog walkers returning to the park. It was also great to see the community coming to enjoy a coffee and cake at the Bilberry Café.

I understand the feeling of anxiousness you all must have felt during this difficult situation, and I want to thank, you our fantastic community for pulling together, providing resilience and supporting us and each other during this time. Malvern Town Council staff and councillors have really appreciated your patience during this situation.

I want to ensure everyone that it is my intention to hold a debriefing meeting so we can learn from this situation and secure our green spaces in the future with the support and assistance of the relevant organisations and authorities moving forward.

Marilyn Birks, Mayor of Malvern