Councillor Ian Buckley was been chosen as Mayor of Penarth in today's Annual General Meeting, which took place with reduced attendance in Turner House and was broadcast online.

As Mayor, the Cornerswell Labour Party Councillor will become the 'First Citizen' of Penarth. This entails ceremonial duties, acting as the public face of the Council, and representing the Council at official and community events.

Cllr Laura Rochefort, also of Cornerswell ward, was elected as this years Deputy Town Mayor.

Cllr Buckley has served as Deputy Mayor to the outgoing Cllr Mark Wilson since June 2020. He was raised in Penarth and is a well-known figure around the town.

When nominating Cllr Buckley, leader of Penarth Town Council Rhiannon Birch joked that the new Mayor "is related to virtually everyone in Penarth".

He has been a Committee Member for Old Penarthians Rugby Club and a member of both the Conservative Club and Ex-Serviceman's Club.

A firefighter, Mayor Buckley has also served as a Union Representative for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

On accepting the Town Mayor position Cllr. Buckley said:

"I would like to thank my proposer and sponsor for putting me forward and I would like to thank all the Councillors at Penarth Town Council for bestowing the honour of being the Town Mayor on me.

"I would like to thank the outgoing Mayor, Cllr. Wilson for his stewardship through what has probably been the most challenging year for all councils outside of wartime Britain.

"As we hopefully say goodbye to Lockdown, if not Covid, this coming year we aim to bring back life to our beautiful town, not just for the local businesses but for our community as a whole.

"I am very hopeful to have a full and eventful mayoral calendar and I look forward to working with the Town Clerk and officers in achieving a community led mayorship."

As well as dedicating time to civic activities, the Town Mayor is also responsible for raising money for charitable causes of their choice. For his mayoral term. Cllr Buckley has chosen to raise money for Woody's Lodge and The Amelia Trust farm.

When introducing his chosen charities Cllr. Buckley said:

"In view of the mental health challenges faced by so many people, and made worse by the past year, I know that Woody's Lodge and the Amelia Trust Farm offer an ideal social prescription in addressing issues of depression, anxiety and isolation without relying on chemical intervention. Both charities work so hard to improve mental health, well-being and education for all."

Woody's Lodge is a communication and social hub for veterans, emergency service workers and their families operating in North and South Wales. Woody's Lodge also acts as a base from which 20+ charitable and statutory agencies work.

The Lodge was established in the memory of Penarth resident, Royal Marine, and member of the Elite Special Boat Service, Paul 'Woody' Woodland who sadly lost his life in a training exercise, before he was due to return for a second tour in Afghanistan. Woody was born, bred and schooled in Penarth, South Wales and it was Woody's dream of owning a log cabin after his service that became the inspiration for the charity.

In the summer of 2018, the charity established their South Wales premises within the Amelia Trust Farm, which is just off of Five Mile Lane on the edge of Barry and in the heart of the Vale of Glamorgan.

The Amelia Trust Farm is a 160-acre countryside sanctuary based in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Trust believes that no one should be excluded from society and they have a long, proud history of providing therapeutic support to disadvantaged and vulnerable people in a Care Farm setting.

The vision is to use the Farm as a 'rural lung' for a variety of people but especially those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable in an attempt to foster self-help, build confidence and enhance employment prospects.

In addition to supporting the educational needs of many, the farm is also open to the general public throughout the year. With woodland walks, animals to see, play areas and a café there is plenty to do and enjoy.

More on the upcoming year's new council positions to follow.

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