A new era for Petersfield Town Hall began last week with a moving nod to the past as the widow of a council great opened a key room in his memory.

There were moving scenes last Thursday when Jean Hick opened the new council chamber before a specially invited group of dignitaries, ex-mayors and mayoresses.

The room has been named The Kenneth Hick Council Chamber in memory of arguably Petersfield’s greatest town councillor, as he was mayor three times during an incredible spell at PTC which lasted nearly half a century.

Mrs Hick told the crowd – which included the mayors of EHDC, Alton and Whitehill – that the room which has been incorporated into the chamber held special memories.

Both she and her father worked in the office during spells at the urban and district councils, while his name also appears on the list of former town mayors that takes centrepiece on the main wall.

She said: “Ken, as a former Churcher’s College boy, was a town councillor for 47 years and three times town mayor.

“I know he would have been immensely proud to have been honoured in this way.”

The room was a who’s who of recent mayors with Lesley Farrow, Mary Vincent, Jamie Matthews, Vaughan Clarke, James Deane, Peter Marshall, JC Crissey and Phil Shaw among those in attendance.

Mrs Hick also wore a PTC brooch which her husband specially commissioned to mark her position as mayoress, with current mayor Cllr Chris Paige and council staff keen to make a replica to gift future recipients.

He told guests ahead of the first PTC meeting in the new chamber that the project to effectively double the size of the previous room had been on the cards for “quite a long time” as it pre-dated his arrival on PTC.

He also revealed the builders finished work just three hours before Mrs Hick officially opened the wood-panelled room.

He said: “This is a major milestone for the town council and it falls in line with the redevelopment of the Festival Hall complex.

“In my previous position at chair of the Public Halls committee I made it a priority to get this project started.

“I never thought I would be the mayor when it opened.”

Cllr Paige added the council chamber scheme was one of three “big” projects that PTC has completed over the last year with the other two including the installation of new rigging in Festival Hall and the refurbishment of the Heath Pond toilets.

The latter block was officially reopened on Friday, September 19, by deputy town mayor Cllr Jamie Matthews following a summer revamp.

“The toilets have been modernised, using rainwater for flushing, push taps for minimal water use, and solar panels to provide energy during the day,” said a spokesperson for PTC, adding the project had come in on budget at £255,196.

He added: “The mens, ladies, unisex and disabled toilets were opened, just leaving the opening of the new adult changing places facility.”