The new mayor of Beccles is hoping to improve the town’s facilities for younger generations while also recognising its past accomplishments during her year in office.

Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw was voted into the role at last night’s annual Beccles Town Council Meeting, with Richard Stubbings voted deputy mayor.

The vote sees the duo reverse the roles they performed last year.

Speaking of her new role Mrs Brambley-Crawshaw, 34, said: “It’s really exciting. I don’t think it feels like an achievement rather it is the beginning of something and the opportunity to do even more.

“It’s addictive when you realise you can have a positive impact on your surroundings, you just want to more and more.”

The new mayor, who also sits on Suffolk County Council, said there are two main issues she will focus on in the coming year.

She said: “I feel like we have been really let down in terms of play equipment and as the town council takes over more assets like the Quay area and Waveney Meadow I would like to be part of transforming those areas to make sure they are up to the standard that we expect.

“Some of the play equipment is older than me and in the next couple of years it will need replacing as it won’t meet the standards we need today.

“We don’t want to be left with nothing there; we want to make sure these fantastic tourist attractions really have the best equipment.”

Mrs Brambley-Crawshaw also wants to see a statue or monument put in place to recognise the achievements of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin – the British chemist who won the Nobel Prize in 1964 and who hailed from the town.

She said: “She’s from Beccles, she went to Sir John Leman High School and we should really be shouting about it.

“I learnt about her from Radio 4 - something is wrong when we don’t know about that fantastic part of our past.”

Mr Stubbings congratulated the new mayor and said: “The idea of us replacing our mayor every year is to bring in new ideas and a freshness into what we do.

“And I’m here to help, I want to do what I can as and where needed.”