On 13 May 2025 I was elected the fifth Mayor of Wellingborough Town Council. On 13 May 2026 I handed the chain to Councillor Sylvia Erskine. This is what happened in between, with links to the press reports where they exist.
The year in brief
£6,421.38raised for the Mayor’s charities, split equally between the Veterans Community Network and Together for Short Lives. The Town Council records it as the most raised by any of its Mayors.
3community assets brought home to the Town Council during the year: Swanspool Gardens, the Pavilion and the Swanspool tennis courts.
3signature fundraising events: the Civic Service, the Winter Gala Dinner and the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, plus a final curry night at Spice Fusion.
Timeline
- 1 May 2025Elected to Wellingborough Town Council for Victoria WardNorthants Telegraph, “Meet your new Wellingborough town councillors”
- 13 May 2025Elected fifth Mayor of Wellingborough at the annual council meetingNorthants Telegraph profile, 1 June 2025“It is an honour to serve as the Mayor of Wellingborough. I am committed to working collaboratively with all residents to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous community.”
- 23 May 2025Swanspool Gardens and Pavilion transferred to the Town CouncilNorthants Telegraph“This transfer represents a historic moment for our community. Swanspool Gardens is a place where memories are made, where families gather, and where our community comes together.”
- 6 Jun 2025Swanspool tennis courts follow, to become “a vibrant hub for tennis in Wellingborough”Northants Telegraph
- 21 Jun 2025First official visit to Stanton Cross to open the Miller Homes showhomeNorthants Telegraph, 15 July 2025
- Oct 2025Launch of the MindfulYou wellbeing app, free to residents for twelve monthsNorthants Telegraph
- 9 Nov 2025Remembrance Sunday at Broad Green, laying the wreath on behalf of the townNorthants Telegraph, in pictures
- Winter 2025The Mayor’s Winter Gala Dinner in aid of Together for Short Lives and the Veterans Community NetworkWellingborough Town Council
- 11 Dec 2025Cutting the ribbon on the 5,000th Premier store in the UK, here in WellingboroughNorthants Telegraph
- 22 Feb 2026Civic Ceremony, conducted with the Wellingborough District Hindu Association and supporters from London and LeicesterTown Council minutes, 18 March 2026
- 26 Apr 2026Final fundraiser of the year at Spice Fusion for the two Mayor’s charitiesTown Council minutes
- 15 May 2026“Wellingborough has been quiet for too long about what has happened to it”Northants Telegraph, the outgoing Mayor’s interview on the town’s future
- 16 May 2026Handing over to Councillor Sylvia Erskine, with the year’s total confirmed as the most raised by any Town Council MayorNorthants Telegraph“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as mayor of Wellingborough.”
What I took from it
A mayoral year is a crash course in how a town actually works. You meet the people who run the food bank, the veterans’ breakfast club, the junior parkrun, the Hindu association, the tennis club and the Premier on the corner, and you learn which council owns which bench. That knowledge does not go back in the box when the chain comes off. It is exactly what I now use, every week, for the residents of Victoria Ward.