OPINION: My year as Mayor has gone so quickly - Mayor of Harrogate, Coun Trevor Chapman

The Mayoress and I have thoroughly enjoyed carrying out our duties and will be sad when our term of office ends on May 23. This is my last article for the Advertiser and I hope you have enjoyed reading the monthly features I have written.

On March 31 we attended a brown plaque unveiling at the ‘The Harrogate Club’ on Victoria Avenue organised by the Harrogate Civic Society. The occasion also included myself unveiling a sign inside the club which was entitled ‘The Malcolm Neesam room’. This was in honour of the support Malcolm has given the club over the years.

On April 1 the Mayoress and I had an enjoyable visit to the Harrogate Fire Station to witness the passing out parade of students completing their Life Project Course. In the afternoon we attended the Dementia Forward 10th Anniversary Birthday celebration at Burton Leonard. The charity provides vital support to over 4,500 families across the county.

Myself and the Mayoress had the pleasure of officially opening the refurbished ‘Curious Cow’ public house on Skipton Road at which I pulled the first pint on April 6.

On April 7 we supported an event at the Old Swan Hotel which featured a talk by the well-known author Gervase Phinn. The afternoon included tea and was in support of one of my charities the Friends of Harrogate Hospital.

We attended the Harrogate Junior Chess Championships at St Roberts Club on April 9. It was good to see so many young people taking part and I had the pleasure of presenting the trophies to the prize winners.

The Mayoress and I enjoyed supporting the Starbeck Community Easter Fun Day at Belmont Park on April 16. The event was in aid of the Starbeck Christmas Lights Appeal. There were several stalls and events taking place which made it a great afternoon.

On April 20 we attended the opening night of the Ripon Operatic Society production of Oliver at Harrogate Theatre. Great production with so many young people involved. Myself and the Mayoress attended the Spring Flowers Show at the Great Yorkshire Showground on April 21. We really appreciated a tour of the show in the morning and were delighted to see what a marvellous display the event provides.

We attended a ceremony at Stonefall Cemetery to commemorate ANZAC day on April 24. The event supported by Harrogate International Partnerships was a moving occasion and hopefully a similar ceremony will become an annual event.

We attended the launch of the latest book day by local historian Malcolm Neesam which was held at the Cedar Court Hotel on April 26. The book is the culmination of years of research and covers the golden age of Harrogate Spa from 1842 – 1923. The event was kindly organised by the Harrogate Civic Society.

To celebrate the Ripon Cathedral 1350th anniversary a preview evening was held on April 28. The Mayoress and I attended the evening at the Cathedral which included a Son et lumière and jazz music. We met the 7th Harrogate Cub Scouts on May 3 in the Council Chamber and had a very interesting question and answer session. A busy day followed on May 4 when I opened the new offices of Agincare in Bower Road in the morning, a meeting of Harrogate Spa Ladies in the afternoon and the opening of a new exhibition at Ripon Museums in the evening.

To finish our term of office, myself and the Mayoress have about 17 more interesting engagements which we will be delighted to carry out.

All the best to everyone.