Luton marks 150 years as a Municipal Borough
Faith Matters by David Jonathan, Grassroots & Luton Council of Faiths
On 25 February 1876, Luton was granted municipal borough status, giving Luton the ability to govern locally through a mayor, councillors and aldermen.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of this historic moment, Luton Council lit the Town Hall in orange and blue on 25 February from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. This marked the beginning of a year-long programme of celebrations.
The commemorations officially began on Friday 27 February with a ceremonial tree planting outside St Mary’s Church. The tree was planted by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Mrs Susan Lousada; the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, Mrs Camilla King; and the Mayor of Luton, Cllr Amy Nicholls. Local poet Lee Nelson also delivered a moving original poem about the town.
Before the tree-planting ceremony, a special service was held at St Mary’s Church, bringing together members of Luton's diverse faith communities to join in sharing the commitment as Luton residents to work together for the good of our town.
The service highlighted how over the 150 years of history Luton has been a place of huge religious diversity, at first principally Christians of different denominations, more recently Christians from many nations, and for the past 50 years people from many different faiths.
Prof Zafar Khan, Chair of the Luton Council of Faiths, said: “Today as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our town, we celebrate that history and commit to continuing to work together to build our common future and shared prosperity, regardless of our faith or culture.”
As a symbolic expression of unity, the Vicar of St Mary’s Church, Rev Mike Jones, invited representatives of different faith communities to join in lighting candles.
Luton South MP Rachel Hopkins said: “As a born and bred Lutonian, I’m so pleased to join the celebrations, reflecting on the history of our town, looking towards everything we are still to achieve, and feeling immense pride in the community we continue to build. Although times and industries have evolved and changed, our town remains a community of hardworking, dedicated, passionate people which I am proud to be a part of.”
A faith leader said: “As we celebrated 150 years of Luton’s incredible history, strong community, and a future full of promise, I am proud to call this place home.”