Mayor finishes two-year term in style

April and the first week in May have been busy for me electioneering for Leeds City Council, as well as attending events and getting on with the business of the Town Council.

Tom and I were invited to the Lions Gala Dinner, a fun-filled event held in the Town Hall, as reported in the Wetherby News last month.

It was an honour for us to visit St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds to mark the dedication of a Glass Brick in the Wall, in memory of all those residents of The Manor Care Home who have passed on.

This event, attended by relatives and staff celebrated the integrated work of the two organisations and highlighted the exceptional expertise and caring ethos of both organisations.

We attended the St George’s Society Service in Leeds Parish Church, as invited guests of the Mayor of Morley, where there was a celebration of local community groups.

Our final joint event was the Civic Service, held this year in my spiritual home, Wetherby Methodist Church on Bank Street. You will have seen the selection of photos taken by Adrian in last week’s paper.

It was a celebration of the uniformed organisations working tirelessly in our community, while also remembering the sacrifice of many Wetherby men and women and their families in past wars over the last hundred years.

We also celebrated the founding of the RAF and the suffrage movement gaining votes for women.

All of these things were a tribute to people who have given of themselves in service of their community and the country, and an encouragement to our children who are the police officers, firefighters, armed forces and healthcare workers of the future. (There are many more but too many to list here.)

I would encourage you to take an interest in the work of the Town Council, and attend Town Council meetings held on the second Tuesday of each month in Wetherby Methodist Church at 7pm.

The Annual Town Meeting will be held in the Town Hall on Thursday May 31 and it would be lovely to see you there. Please refer to the Town Council website for further details.

I would like to thank the Town Hall Staff for their amazing work and support for the whole community, as well as the town councillors.

I have enjoyed my time as Mayor, learning even more about the town and the work of the many voluntary organisations within it, and I have tried to give you an insight in to the ways I have represented you, through this column over the past two years. I wish every success to my successor who will be voted in on Tuesday night.

I will carry on as a town councillor and am looking forward to my new role as Wetherby Ward Councillor on Leeds City Council, enabling me to continue to serve my local community.