Mayoress’s column

THIS week’s column has been written by the Mayoress of Hyndburn – Mayor Peter Britcliffe’s daughter Sara:

First of all on behalf of my Dad and myself can I wish you all a very Happy New Year, with the hope that your Christmas was as lovely as ours, spending precious time with family and friends.

The lead-up to Christmas was such a busy time packed with mayoral engagements including various carol services, light switchons, Christmas parties and shows.

It was great to see the variety of festive events both in and out of Hyndburn, and a pleasure to attend them.

It is difficult to imagine the sheer amount of hard work that all of the organisers had put in to make each event special, providing an opportunity for each and every one of us to enjoy this wonderful time of the year.

As I come in to my eighth month now of being Mayoress I have realised how many voluntary organisations and institutions there are in Hyndburn, who not only work tirelessly at Christmas, but throughout the whole year, to make our borough a better place in which to live.

It is also fantastic to see the participants of said events and the turnouts themselves show the enthusiasm that our community has for them.

I have gained many personal experiences from our borough throughout this year.

When I first received the news that I would be becoming the Mayoress, I made the decision to take a year out of my studies to fully immerse myself into the role and postponed my travels to Germany where come September I will be teaching.

The mayor making was the start and in no way an ease in to the role, but a day I will definitely remember and cherish.

Of course, with the excitement came worries.

Being the youngest person to fill the role in Hyndburn I felt anxious as to how it would be accepted, how to present myself, and of course as a girl… what to wear.

This all became an unnecessary worry as, with guidance from those around me and the warm welcomes from each engagement we attended, I relaxed and became more comfortable.

This would not have happened had I not received the positive comments and greetings from individuals I have met during the period from May to January.

I would like to personally thank everyone for making these months such a pleasure.

As we come to our last few months we are currently organising the annual event of the Mayor’s Charity Ball on the 10th of March, where we are hoping to raise a large sum for our Mayoral Charities.

Tickets are now on sale at £30 per person, with an action packed evening of entertainment and a three course meal included.

We would love for you to come and join us in this celebration, and at the same time raising money for worthy causes.

PB will be back next time when I’m sure he will tell you about the Great Harwood 10k Race, which we started.

A fantastic event with 800 runners raising money for East Lancs Hospice.