5 King Street, Melton Mowbray - 01664 502502 towncentremanager@melton.gov.uk

Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is 14.5 miles (23 km) to the northeast of Leicester, and 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Nottingham. The town lies along the course of both the River Eye and the River Wreake and currently has a population of 25,554.

Promoted as the "Rural Capital of Food", Melton Mowbray is perhaps best known for its culinary specialities, being the home of the eponymous pork pie and one of the five homes of Stilton cheese.

Melton is a corruption of Middleton (middle enclosure or field), influenced by the Old Norse Methal (middle). In Domesday, it was Medeltone. In the 12th century, Roger de Moubray (from Montbray in Normandy) came and gave it the second half of the name. By 1284, it had become known as Melton Moubray.

Melton Carnegie Museum is based in Melton Mowbray. The museum has recently been refurbished and visitors can expect a "hands on", audio visual family orientated experience showing the history and importance of the town. Included are sounds from the ages, a history of the hunt, a preserved phone box, a buried (underfoot and perspex) Saxon and shrapnel from World War II.

Melton Mowbray is renowned for its music-making. The Melton Band (a traditional British-style brass band) can trace its directors back to 1856 and was, until recently, called Melton Borough Band. The colourful Melton Mowbray Toy Soldiers Marching Band was formed in 1936; and Happy Jazz - a dixieland jazz band - had its headquarters in the town from 1996 until 2014. There is also the Melton Mowbray Tally Ho Band, formed in 1936; and Tornado Brass, a mixed brass and woodwind group, was founded in the 1980s.

Melton has several pubs, some of which, like the Generous Britain (affectionately known as the Jenny B) continue to encourage new live music. The Noels Arms Freehouse is Melton Mowbray District CAMRA Pub of the Year 2014 and is the place to go for fine ales and cider. The Noels also houses Gasdog Brewery which is the first brewery in the town for over a hundred years. Also gaining great reputation for new and established bands and musicians in Melton Mowbray every Friday and Saturday night, Sunday afternoons sees the pub open to acoustic acts and the now very popular cheese board. There are several other pubs in Melton surviving the latest recession, including one of the oldest establishments in the area, The Anne of Cleves. This ancient building on Burton Street close to St Mary's church has features dating from the early 14th century. Originally home to Chantry Monks the building was taken during the dissolution and given, by Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves as part of the divorce settlement.

The town boasts an unusual cinema, The Regal, in King Street in the centre of the town. The building itself is a remarkably preserved purpose-built theatre complete with period interior design, sumptuous colours with winding staircases and fancy plasterwork. It re-opened in 2013 after refurbishment.

Concerts have been played in the carousel bandstand in Melton Mowbray Park since August 1909. There is still a series of concerts on summer Sundays.

Melton has its own radio station 103 The Eye which broadcasts to Melton Borough and the Vale of Belvoir, including part of Rushcliffe Borough, on 103 FM as well as worldwide on the internet via its website www.103theeye.co.uk When the station launched in 2005 it was the first in the UK to go on the air under the new tier of community radio licensed by the broadcasting regulator OFCOM. The station has since won a number of awards for its work. It is named after the River Eye.

The historic Stapleford Miniature Railway built in 1958 is a private steam hauled passenger railway at Stapleford Park around 3 miles (5 km) to the east of Melton Mowbray. Famous for its fleet of steam locos and scenic location, it attracts thousands of visitors and tourists during occasional summer openings for charity. It is of the same 10 1/4 in (260 mm) gauge as the Town Estates small railway that runs in an oval around play close park in Melton, albeit a lot longer.

Also 1/2 mile (800 m) to the north east of Melton is the theme park "Twinlakes". A locally popular venue this park provides a whole host of family and children's attractions and rides.

Melton's Waterfield Leisure Pools offer a range of activities, including a well-equipped gym and fitness suite as well as swimming. The library in Wilton Road is close to the town centre and adjacent is Melton Theatre, part of Brooksby Melton College, on the junction with Asfordby Road. The theatre first opened in 1976, has recently been refurbished and continues to provide a wide variety of entertainment. In the past few years, it has produced remarkable ballet, opera, and dramatic plays of many types, and provided a venue for many top class bands and acts, pantomime and art displays. It has ample parking, is fully licensed and is a most pleasant place to visit.

There is a fire station, a police station, and a hospital, with St Mary's maternity centre, The War Memorial Hospital off Ankle Hill, originally Wyndham Lodge donated to the town in 1920 by Colonel Richard Dalgleish, has, in 2010, been sold to help fund St Mary's hospital.