FARNHAM Town Council has some new faces at the helm following the annual town council meeting.

John Ward, councillor for Shortheath and Boundstone has stepped down as the leader to take up the role of Mayor of Farnham. He will be supported by Mike Hodge who has been elected as the Deputy Mayor. Carole Cockburn was elected as the new leader of the council.

The outgoing mayor, Pat Frost, received a warm vote of thanks from colleague David Attfield for the time and continued commitment that she and her consort had put into Farnham’s communities in what had been a superb year as mayor.

He said: “I was more than pleased when you became our mayor as I felt it was time to recognise your lon- term representation of our communities. One does not recognise the time and commitment required to be our mayor. A few of the prestigious events command publication in the local press but many of your visits go unnoticed.

“Thank you Mr Frost, Bob, for your role as consort for looking after Pat and ensuring she always got home safely.”

Julia Potts echoed the thanks and acknowledged Mrs Frost’s dedication and hard work during the 30 years she has been a councillor.

She described how during the mayoral year, Pat and her husband “put their heart and soul into everything they did and were excellent ambassadors for the town”.

In his acceptance speech, the new mayor said he was looking forward to “being able to thank, encourage and publicise the hard work put in by the army of volunteers that literally keep Farnham going”.

He also pledged to ensure that communications with citizens, local institutions and other councils continue to improve and that his theme for the mayoral year will be communication.

Mr Ward told the meeting how with the help and support of his wife and mayoress, Gillian, he would do all he could to uphold the high standards of previous town mayors.

Carole Cockburn, said: “John is quite simply someone who does the job. He has had a trial run in the role and will now carry out it out with complete understanding and unfailing enthusiasm.

“He will not be a dull mayor, that is for certain. He will brighten up the darkest day and few organisations will forget his visit. John will do his homework as all good mayors do and make sure that every single volunteer is recognised for his or her service.

“He will remember that it is an honour and privilege to wear the chain and that while it makes him recognisable, it does not make him the most important person in the room.”

During 2016/17, the mayor has chosen to support the Ridgeway Community School. In explaining his choice, he described how he had wanted his charity to be local, to help people to communicate, to focus on young people and to be committed to helping those who through no fault of their own are disadvantaged.

Any organisations that wish to invite the mayor to an event or who would like to receive a visit is invited to send and email to [email protected].