Tower and Town, June 2026 (view the full edition)Editorial: Minal - What's In A NameIt is a lovely British quirk that I live on a road with no name and in a village with an adopted name. Officially named Mildenhall but commonly known as Minal, there is attitude about this village that has stood it apart from the time the Romans chose to stay almost 2,000 years ago. So much has changed, especially in the last 50 years. Up to then, the way of life organically bonded the village together. Families lived in Minal for generations, schooled locally, then learned trades, worked and finally died within a few miles of where they were born. There was little leisure time, but villagers rubbed shoulders naturally in the workplace, domestically and at church on Sunday. The technology revolution that we are living in has radically changed the way a village lives. Although we have more free time, we are mostly self-reliant and can communicate with the world in a flash. Paradoxically we now must work hard at sustaining the village identity. The school and shop have gone but we still have the church and the pub. In addition to the Parish Council and the Parochial Church Council there are organisations and activities that create platforms through which we now socialise. These include the Village Hall, the Sports and Social Club, Garden Club and Minal Munch, all run by dedicated volunteers. We communicate village activities and events via "social platforms" such as the monthly Minal News, the Minal Community Facebook page and the parish website (https://mildenhallwiltshireparishcouncil.gov.uk). The website is packed with information and credit is due particularly to Norman Spires' "A Minal Chronicle" completed in 1990, from which several stories are extracted in the following pages. Clive Scholefield |