It certainly has been an exciting and eventful six weeks as the new mayor of Beccles.

I am very grateful for the way the whole council has supported me, I don’t know I’d do it without them or my wonderful deputy mayor, Elfrede who is a joy to work alongside! All the councillors have really come together and I feel we are building a great team ready to take on the future and improve Beccles for the best.

I would like to think that this reflects on our town as a whole. In the brief weeks that I have been mayor I have found out so much about the many and varied groups and organisations, who all pull together to improve and promote Beccles. We have much to thank these volunteers for, who quietly give their time selflessly in so many ways. I look forward to meeting so many more groups in the coming year.

It is difficult to single out any group as they are all deserving of praise, however recently I was humbled when I was invited to meet the children from Belarus who visited Beccles for a month. It was a pleasure to meet the children and to meet the families who welcomed them into their homes, not to mention the organisers of the trip who worked tirelessly to make it happen. I had the pleasure of meeting these children when they first arrived in Beccles and again when they were leaving. The difference in them over the few weeks was amazing. They were so full of life and looked so healthy and happy at the end of their stay here. I know that they were all keen to return home to their own families, but they will treasure forever their Beccles families who gave them so many good memories.

It was not only the families who shared their homes with the children, but also the businesses who gave freely to the cause. From the Waveney House Hotel who hosted the introduction party and the Butchers Arms who hosted the leaving party and who’s customers raised much of the money needed to bring the children over here. First Buses who lent them transport, Observatory the Opticians who provided free eye checks and free glasses where needed. This is not even the complete list. I am sure there are others who also contributed.

The point is that it is the Beccles community and business community coming together to help a great cause.

RICHARD STUBBINGS

Mayor of Beccles 2017/2018