Welcome planned for new Mayor of Preston

2:45pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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Preston councillor John Swindells is to be officially welcomed as new Mayor of Preston at a special ceremony today.

The Mayor making ceremony, which takes place at Preston Town Hall tonight, at 6pm, will mark the beginning of his year in office and the end of Councillor Christine Abram's stint as Mayor.

As Mayor of Preston, Councillor Swindells will be a figurehead for the city, act as chairman at council meetings, represent Preston at civic events and be officially recognised as Preston's first citizen.

Labour man and father-of-three John has served as a Preston councillor for the past eight years.

He represented the old central ward between January 2000 and May 2002, and has represented the university ward since then, following a restructure of the ward boundaries.

During his time as a councillor, John has chaired several committees, including Transport Committee and Planning Committee, and was executive member for environment and sustainability from May 2005 to May 2007.

A keen Preston North End fan, John, who is now retired, worked as a fabricator for British Nuclear Fuels for 37 years.

He said: "It's a great honour to be offered the chance to be Mayor and follow a long line of people who have contributed so much to Preston over the years.

"My chosen charities are Emmaus, which supports homeless people, and Preston and District SCOPE, which provides services for people with disabilities, and I will be pleased to host a number of events to raise much-needed funds for them during the year.

"I would also like to raise the profile of the voluntary and community sector throughout the city. Volunteers put in a lot of hard work to organise events such as the Caribbean Carnival and Preston Mela and provide vital services for all sections of the community.

"Their efforts often go unnoticed, but without them a vital part of community life would be lost and I want to encourage more people to come forward and help.

"It will be great to see the Tithebarn redevelopment project move forward and as a Preston North End fan, seeing them win promotion would round off my Mayoral year nicely!

"I look forward to my year in office alongside my wife Linda, who will be Mayoress, and my daughter Laura, who will be standing in as Mayoress at some events."