TWO women have been elected to serve as town mayor and deputy mayor in Camelford.

Last Thursday’s meeting in the town hall, was opened by retiring mayor, Rob Rotchell.

There was only one nomination for mayor, Cllr Kirsty Ferguson, who had previously served as deputy to Cllr Rotchell.

As he handed over the chain of office, Cllr Rotchell and his fellow councillors offered their congratulations to the new mayor.

Taking the chair, Cllr Ferguson said: “A resident in town last week asked if i was going to stand for mayor. When I replied ‘yes’, a look of shock crept across their face. ‘Really?’ they said. They questioned why I would want to put up with all the derogatory comments and negativity they had been hearing recently.

“They were so surprised when I said that it’s part of the role of the councillor. It’s about how it’s handled, and although it can be quite frustrating to hear, we are all trying to continue making Camelford a nicer place to live. ‘Rather you than me’, was the response.”

Cllr Ferguson continued: “This got me thinking about the reasons for standing. It was quite simple. I’m excited about leading the town for the next 12 months, following the outstanding progress we, as a council, have made over the last 18 months.

“I’m honoured to be part of a team of people who collectively want to make Camelford a better place to live, and more importantly, I personally want to dedicate my time as a thank you to the town for supporting my family and I over the last 45 years.

“I couldn’t have wished to have been raised in a nicer community and that was one of the main reasons for standing as councillor three years ago.”

Cllr Ferguson thanked Cllr Rotchell for his support to her in her role as deputy mayor.

She said she knew she would have big shoes to fill, but added: “I will do my utmost to support each and every one of you and lead this town further to becoming a vibrant community.”

It is believed that Cllr Ferguson is also the youngest mayor to take office.

There were two nominations for deputy mayor, Claire Hewlett and Andy Shaw.

Each councillor was given a piece of paper with the two nominees’ names on and were asked to indicate their preffered candidate.

Deputy town clerk, Amanda Lash announced that Cllr Hewlett was the winning candidate with six votes to four.