ALTON mayor Robyn Fitzer's term of office draws to a close after a busy year. From an Ahmadiyya charity walk and the Queen's diamond wedding anniversary in Winchester Cathedral, to Victorian costume cricket on Butts Green and turning on the Christmas lights, Mrs Fitzer said it had been "enjoyable, sometimes stressful but always rewarding". She has supported the Alton in Bloom project, the Scout's centenary in The Maltings, Remembrance Day with tribute to REME returning from Afghanistan, and the second Civic Service at the Methodist Church, and her 100th event of her year came last week when she opened the loos in the Public Gardens car park. Paying tribute, at last Wednesday's annual elector's meeting, to the "amazing" number of volunteers she had come across during her year in office, who help sporting, community and fundraising projects in the town, she noted the Alton Society's efforts to soften the built landscape by campaigning for tree and shrub planting. The Society donated a tree, which was planted outside the Fire Station. She also noted that, with Alton thriving and growing, improving services to match the demands made by more housing developments continued to be a challenge. Soon to give way to the 2008/09 mayor, Atul Patel, Mrs Fitzer thanked colleagues for their support. She said: "These activities do not run themselves and I thank the Town Hall staff for all their help and patience. I would also like to thank my fellow councillors for their help and guidance, especially Pam Bradford whose knowledge and experience were a great help."
