Portrait unveiling marks start of town festival
Organisers of Much Wenlock’s storytelling festival today have unveiled a portrait of long-standing Much Wenlock alderman, Milner Whiteman OBE.
The portrait was painted in oils by Shropshire artist Jacob Gourley and is the latest in a series commissioned by the Get a Word in Edgeways Festival to recognise and celebrate local people who have significantly contributed to the town.
Milner Whiteman served in local government for over 50 years, as a member of Much Wenlock Town Council he served as mayor four times. He represented the area on Bridgnorth District Council for many years, holding posts as chairman and leader.
As the Local Government Association representative, Mr Whiteman became deputy leader and was awarded his OBE during this time for services to Local Government. On his retirement from Much Wenlock Town Council in 2021, Mr Whiteman was made a rarely appointed Freeman of the Town.
Get a Word in Edgeways’ Festival director, Mike Rust says, “Milner has served Much Wenlock and the surrounding area for over 50 years, this is a way of the recognising his significant contribution to the town and allowing its people to show their ongoing appreciation.”
The unveiling marks the start of the Get a Word in Edgeways Festival, with poetry, music, workshops and story telling taking place around Much Wenlock from Friday 10 October, all day Saturday and culminating with a outdoor choir performance and parade through the streets from 2.30pm on Sunday 12 October.
Many events are free, and performance, day and weekend tickets are available from gawiefest.co.uk where a programme of events is available.
