Wokingham has a new Town Council mayor. Alwyn Jones was inaugurated at the Old Town Hall on Sunday in full regalia and has dedicated his year to the Ollie Young Foundation.
The Town Council mayor is separate from the Borough Council mayor but still a visible local figure. Town councillors paraded into the chamber wearing tricorns and bicorns, and press were banned from taking photographs inside.
There were theatrical touches throughout: attendants carried staffs studded with oak leaves and acorns to echo the town's old name, Oakingham, and the master of ceremonies addressed the audience as 'distinguished guests,' then paused and added 'and other guests'.
Outgoing mayor Lou Timlin used her year to raise funds for CLASP and gave a long farewell speech, presenting gifts to family members and officials. The new mayor and his consort received their chains of office and Jones named the Ollie Young Foundation as his charity for the year.
Ollie Young was five when he died from a brain tumour in February 2012; the charity funds paediatric cancer research and support and has already raised almost £1m. Ollie's mother and grandmother attended the ceremony, and one councillor's wife quipped that they looked like 'the Pirates of Penzance,' while the two mayors kept praising their quiz-night wins. No photographs from inside the council chamber are available.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
