Farewell From Mayor Mike Arnold

My term as Mayor ended last week at the second virtual Town Council Meeting held last Thursday and it's certainly been quite a year as Daventry Mayor. I met a lot of interesting people, a wide range of wonderful local charities and attended an amazing range of events.

Having lived in Daventry for 35 years I thought I knew what was going on in the town, but there is so much I didn't know! Mostly, the huge range of organisations and people working behind the scenes on our behalf. So now is my chance to say a big thank you to everyone including employees and volunteers who do a wonderful job without whom Daventry would be a poorer place to live.

I also need to the thank the staff and fellow Councillors for their help and support during my time as Mayor and acknowledge the hard work and imagination that has been put into taking over some key services as the West Northamptonshire Unitary Authority is established.

Thank you to the Deputy Mayor, Lynne Taylor, for standing in when I was unavailable and good luck with her year of office as the new Daventry Town Mayor. Plus a special mention to the Mayor's Mace Bearer for not walking too fast when leading me so that I could keep up. There will also be a huge sigh of relief from some quarters that they will no longer have the Mayor turn up to meet them riding on a pink tricycle!

Finally, I must extend my thanks to my wife and family for their help during this year.

The year has ended with a national lockdown but the Council as well as the people of Daventry are adapting to this new way of life and will continue to do so. Let's all hope for a speedy return to the new normal and don't forget although I am no longer Mayor I am still a Town Councillor for Hill Ward so am still on call!

Thank you again for all your support and I look forward to seeing Daventry residents once more at Council events in the future when it's safe to do so once more.