Winchester City Council welcomes new Mayor
Councillor Eleanor Bell has officially become the 820th Mayor of Winchester.
Cllr Bell was appointed in a mayor making ceremony at the Bapsy Hall at Guildhall Winchester on Wednesday.
The Mayoralty of Winchester is the second oldest in England and dates back to 1200.
Cllr Bell has taken over from Cllr Frank Pearson and the new Deputy Mayor of Winchester is now Wonston and Micheldever councillor, Patrick Cunningham.
During the ceremony, those attending enjoyed a performance by Jon-Joe Flynn who sang a number of songs from musicals.
Speaking at the ceremony Cllr Bell, who serves Badger Farm and Olivers Battery ward, said:
"I am honoured to be elected to the role of Mayor of Winchester which has so much history attached to it. I look forward to a busy year of meeting people, supporting local organisations and their events, plus my own charity activities.
"Winchester and Hursley have been my home for forty years and they continue to delight. Nevertheless the city and district have their share of social challenges which many local organisations work tirelessly to address."
This year’s chosen charities for the Mayor of Winchester will be the Fire Fighters Charity, Winchester Hospice, the Children’s Society and Winchester First Responders.
After mayor making Cllr Pearson reflected fondly on his time as Mayor, he said:
"I have enjoyed every event I have been to and I've met some fantastic people and groups, and it was an a real honour to be Mayor of Winchester."