Ian takes over as Melton Mowbray’s new Townwarden

Ian Neale took over the chains of office from Adrienne Holland to take on the ancient role which is now largely ceremonial as a representative of Melton Mowbray Town Estate at public and civic events.

He will be known to many as the senior churchwarden at the town’s iconic St Mary’s Church – he has involved there since his teens and gained notoriety in the 1980s when he was the youngest churchwarden, a position he held again in the 2000s.

Ian was born in the town of Battle in Sussex, and his family moved to Melton Mowbray in 1947, when he attended the town’s Brownlow School and King Edward VII Grammar School.

On leaving school, he worked for a local building company and attended Leicester Polytechnic, qualifying as a technical member of the Chartered Institute of Building.

He progressed to become regional estimator for a national building company, specialising in repairs and improvements to system built social housing.

Ian is married to Dina – a former head of mathematics at King Edward VII School – and they have a married daughter and a grandson.

A feoffee with the Town Estate for the last 15 years, Ian is by no means the only churchwarden to become Townwarden – the church and Town Estate have been closely associated since 1549 and, over the years, various churchwardens have been Townwardens, the last being Gilbert King in the 1980s.

For his church work, he was made a Canon of Leicester Cathedral and was honoured by the Leicestershire High Sheriff this year.

Ian project-managed the refurbishment of Launde Abbey and the re-ordering of St. Mary’s Church in 2017.

As a member of the Melton Mowbray Rotary Club and chairman of the Sir Richard Raynes Charity, he has worked to help the less fortunate in our society.

Ian has always strived for the Town Estate, councils and church to work together for the benefit of the town and its inhabitants.

One of his first duties as Townwarden will be to attend Melton’s Remembrance Sunday parade next month.