As I sit down to write this column it is exactly one month since I was elected mayor of Beccles.

It has been a busy month getting to grips with the role; both inside and outside the Town Hall. I have spent a lot of time out and about in the community and if I needed a reminder of how industrious our town is then this month certainly has been one!

As spring rolls into summer our volunteer gardeners have been working hard to make Beccles bloom, the Beccles Carnival team have selected their royalty, the Choral Society filled St Michael’s Church with the beautiful music of Beethoven, we welcomed 10 wonderful children from the Ukraine for a temporary reprieve from the effects of Chernobyl.

Two significant birthdays also took place this month, the country market which takes place in the Quaker Hall marked 40 years and the brilliant May Centre, which offers a wonderful service to the elderly and disabled celebrated 36 years. The May Centre was built in 1982 a year before I was born and was the vision of councillor Ken Markland who chose the project as his mayoral appeal, since then it has blossomed and thanks to the dedication of volunteers continues to this day.

Ken Markland’s Success has made me think solemnly about the significance of the mayoral appeal and how it can be a real vehicle to do something amazing. For my mayoral appeal I have chosen to raise money to replace the oldest play equipment at Beccles Quay. This equipment was state of the art when it was built over 30 years ago, now it is tired and at the end of its life. Over the coming months I will be asking our local children, parents and grandparents what they would like to see there and encouraging you all to join me, fundraising to improve a beautiful outdoor space which will last another 30 years.

Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw

Beccles mayor 18/19