Montgomery artist Alex Boyd-Jones has successfully completed a creative challenge to produce one tree study every day over a total of 100 days which she had embarked upon on January 31st.

Alex’s #100daysoftreesketches was one of around two million 100-day challenges involving artists across the world, each with their own area of focus and personal goals, with work shared each day using #the100dayproject.

Alex said: “My reasons for taking part were largely about building in time every day to dedicate to observing and articulating the world around me, with a specific focus on trees.”

Alex has a Fine Art degree and has worked as a curator, but has found pockets of time for her own artwork.

She says: “Trees have had a constant presence. I’m drawn to them for so many reasons: the way they frame our landscapes throughout history, the rootedness in and the way they can define a place, our relationships with them, their beauty and the atmosphere that they create and of course their agency in an age of environmental crisis.”

Alex has had a few cards produced which will be on display alongside some of her art prints at the Old Bell Gallery in Montgomery as part of the ‘Montgomery Arts and Crafts Wales’ pop-up (fb.me/MontgomeryArtsandCraftsWales)

Alex’s drawings can be seen on Instagram or Facebook @larkandline.

New mayor elected at meeting

Montgomery Town Council has a new mayor.

Councillor Haydn Andrew stood down at the annual meeting following two years in the role.

Cllr Andrew addressed the council, thanking the clerk and his partner Jane as mayoress for their support during the two years.

He said: “This has been a stressful time for all of us, in many ways, and it has been disappointing not to be able to carry out many of the activities, including fundraising events, that the mayoress and I had planned.”

Despite this, cllr Andrew will still be able to make a donation to his chosen charities, Wales Air Ambulance and Cancer Research.

New mayor elect Jill Kibble thanked cllr Andrew for his service in this very difficult period, during which she had served as his deputy, and said that he had shown his mettle as an ambassador of the town.

She told the meeting she was delighted to have Wendy Beaven as deputyand looked forward to working together to move the council forward as a team to serve Montgomery.

Cllr Kibble said: “Montgomery has a splendid community, as has really been shown over the past 16 months. As a town council we are here to support that.”

Cllr Kibble will focus on a town plan, involving residents and businesse, and supporting the town during recovery.

She is keen to see community activities re-established, including groups and events in the town hall, with people having the confidence to be out and about again and assisting the town economy.

Cllr Kibble announced that her chosen charities would be the DPJ charity, and the Montgomery Medical Practice Patients Association.

The new mayor hopes that some events and fundraising will be able to take place during her term in office.

County councillor Stephen Hayes, also in attendance, expressed his admiration and thanks to cllr Andrew for the dignified manner in which he had carried out the role over the past two years.

Library reopens for readers

Montgomery’s volunteer run library has now reopened for local readers with the current hours being 10am to 12noon on Tuesdays through to Saturdays.

Lesley Williams, volunteer library co-ordinator, said: “The ordering system is now live again and there are regular weekly deliveries of books, so those who have exhausted their own supply at home can order something different.”

Readers returning books are asked to place them straight into the box in the main library room, where they will be kept separate for a few days before being returned into the system.

Diamond wedding joy for couple

Elsie and Nye Mills celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on the 3rd of June.

Because of the pandemic, they plan to celebrate quietly at home in Cwminkin, surrounded by the good wishes of friends and family.

The couple were married at St Nicholas’ Church in Montgomery on June 3, 1961, and have lived and worked in the area all their lives, taking part in community activity in both Montgomery and Llandyssil.

Their son, Mike Mills, is well known to residents, having been mayor of the town three times in the last 20 years.