Councillor Susan Shaw was elected as Mayor of East Retford at the Charter Trustees Annual General Meeting, held on Wednesday 8th June at Retford Town Hall. Councillor Claire Plevin was elected as Deputy Mayor.
Almost 100 people attended the ceremony held in The Ball Room, the first to be held under normal conditions since Covid-19 disrupted normal life in the town. Councillor Shaw was elected unanimously and, for the next 12 months, she will represent the Town and chair the Charter Trustee meetings. In her acceptance speech, Susan thanked the work done by the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Carolyn Troop, during the last 12 months. She was presented with a bouquet by pupils from Bracken Lane Primary School, and a badge in recognition of her year in office.
The new Mayor, who for many years has been involved in supporting the area’s youth, including her work with the ‘Focus on Young People in Bassetlaw’ charity, said: “I am privileged to accept the role, and my focus for the year will be on the young people of Retford. They are the town’s future.”
In addition, she hopes to encourage ‘greater use of The Town Hall and King’s Park to promote live music, including busking events in the town’. She praised the work of the Retford Business Forum, who, as well as their work on the Neighbourhood Plan, led the successful Platinum Jubilee event held at the Town Hall.
“I shall be supporting the flood alleviation scheme, and generally working hard for the people of Retford throughout the next year,” promised Mayor Shaw.
The Ceremony also included the presentation of the first of The Charter Trustee Awards, made by the outgoing mayor to Michael and Elizabeth Szarelis, for their work over the last two years on The Retford Remembrance Project. The project has seen installations in the Retford cemeteries of plaques and noticeboards to help visitors identify graves of fallen soldiers. Special mention was given to Maria Ditch, for her work in support of Ukraine.