The Old Town Residents Association is celebrating 55 years this month – and the group says it is still as strong a mouthpiece for the area as when it first started.
For more than half a century the community-minded people have been standing up for the area they live in, sometimes against all odds.
They say that the issues might have changed over the years - they now battle against housing issues and parking problems rather than the ever-changing landscape of 1968 - but the idea behind the group remains the same; to offer a voice for Old Town and protect the interests of the area.
To celebrate they will be holding a fundraising quiz on 1 December at Christ Church, giving the residents an opportunity to rub shoulders with their neighbours and to celebrate Old Town.
Old Town Residents Association covers the whole of the hill of Old Town from the bottom of Eastcott, Victoria Road, Croft Road, Kings Hill and along Marlborough Road to Broome Manor.
Over 10,000 residents call Old Town their home and the association tries its best to be a talking place for all things that affect their lives.
To mark the milestone, the organisation has launched a new logo.
The association was renamed almost 10 years ago to represent the whole area after slowly growing as an amalgamation of five local associations. The oldest of these can trace roots back to Pipers Area RA based around the Lakeside estate.
The residents of the time banded together, hoping to be informed and to influence the developments at the proposed university campus on Pipers Way, which became the Burmah House campus and eventually Marlborough Park.
Over time the association started to amalgamate with others from Croft, Kingshill, Eastcott and Okus, but the essence remained; to listen to and represent the wide opinions from local residents when decisions are being made.
To this day the association deals with issues such as traffic, parking, events in the parks or Wood Street, pubs, clubs, restaurants, new house builds, the conversion of shops and offices to housing, the Corn Exchange renovations and the Museum & Art Gallery.
As time has moved on, the association talks more and more to residents online through Facebook, email and even on Zoom meetings. It was therefore more relevant to have a fresh logo to identify the group.
OTRA Co-Chair Colin Doubleday, who was involved with the design, said: “The simple elements were the hill itself where Old Town sits, some historic buildings and the iconic Victorian and Edwardian housing.
"We also wanted to remind people of the parks and greenery so we added some trees. Hopefully we can use this icon to represent the association and ensure we are noticed alongside other important local organisations such as Friends of Old Town and South Swindon Parish Council."
Association Co-Chair Karen Thomas said: “OTRA is a very democratic group, with all members of the committee elected by a public Annual General Meeting.
"Any resident can comment, lead a discussion or share information on our Facebook Group - www.facebook.com/groups/oldtownresidents - and they are welcome to turn up at any of our public meetings which are held 7.30pm every third Monday at The Goddards Arms in High St.
"We are privileged to have attendance from local Borough and Parish Councillors, the police and other local groups. It is a great place to share information and discuss ideas.
"The next OTRA AGM is at Christchurch Community Centre, 6pm on Friday 1 December."
To celebrate 55 years of community involvement the association will be holding a fundraising event at Christchurch Community Centre on Friday 1 February.
OTRA Co-Chair Susanne Webb said: “Our group helped at the first ever event at the Community Centre 10 years ago. We are so pleased to be asked back to celebrate the anniversary; we are holding a quiz night.
"Teams of two to six can compete on local and general knowledge. Tickets are £6 per person in advance and will include pizza, with profits shared between Christ Church and OTRA. We look forward to welcoming lots of local residents.”
Tickets are available via https://www.christchurchswindon.co.uk/blog/2023/09/10th-
anniversary-quiz-night/
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