I have always loved the feeling of the New Year. Festivities past, hangovers cleared, it’s back to ‘Old clothes and Porridge’ as my Father used to describe it. ‘Out with the Old, and In with the New’ - a time to look back on the year that’s gone – with pride, nostalgia, regrets; and a time to make plans for the year ahead – firm plans, vague aspirations, dreams.

Politically, who would have thought that 2011 was a year which would see the Euro coming close to collapse, potentially endangering the Government’s brave efforts to secure the economy and pay off the accumulated debt; which would see the dreaded voting reform proposals finally killed off in a referendum; which would see the coalition surviving, albeit a little battered, and the Conservative Party in the lead in the polls – almost uniquely for mid-term, when electoral blues traditionally set in. It’s a year which saw foreign troops finally leave Iraq (for better or worse), and the beginning of the hand-over to local control in Afghanistan; which saw a brilliantly successful campaign in Libya and the death of Gaddafi; and which saw world - history - changing events throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Locally 2011 saw the sad ending of the RAF Hercules fleet at Lyneham, and the welcome news of a continuing military use for the base for a tri-service technical training depot; it saw the end of Repatriations through Wootton Bassett and the surprise – but very welcome - recognition by Her Majesty of the town’s contribution to military and national morale by granting the rare honour of ‘Royal’ before its name. The local economy held up very well – despite worrying signs at year end of redundancies in Cricklade; farming and the food industry is in reasonable shape, and long-term unemployment amongst the lowest in England.

There are future concerns about planning, and the apparent (if as yet unproven) need for new housing, especially around Chippenham; about waste disposal and recycling, about out-of-town shopping killing our market town high streets. Health, education and local government services in Wiltshire are managing well under the central-government funding cuts necessitated by the National overdraft, but can they keep it up? I hope so, and am glad that overall life in North Wiltshire – certainly by comparison with many other parts of England and the rest of the World - is relatively peaceful, prosperous and healthy. The challenge for the coming year will be to keep it that way.

The National and International future holds so many worries – especially from a financial and economic standpoint. Will the Euro survive, and if it does not, what will be the consequences for Britain despite our non-membership of it? Can we avoid a Recession? If the Arab Spring was unforeseen so too are the consequences of it. What will happen in Egypt? What of the Israeli/Palestinian question? Is Iran moving towards a world-threatening nuclear capability? Will Pakistan remain reasonably stable, and keep Islamic fundamentalist extremists under control? Who can say with any degree of certainty?

We can perhaps do little better than that famous quote by King George VI in his Christmas Broadcast in 1939 just after the outbreak of war: “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

I can think of no better way than that of wishing you all a safe and happy and (reasonably) prosperous 2012.