Outgoing Mayor of Narberth has called on the people of the town to stand up and fight for the services they believe in before it is too late.

In her final address to the council before handing over the chain of office, Clr. Mrs. Sue Rees made a passionate plea to the community after thanking the town council and the clerk, Mrs. Caroline Coaker, for their support throughout the year, as well as her Deputy Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Elizabeth Rogers, who she said she knew would once again make a wonderful Mayor of Narberth.

Said Clr. Mrs. Rees: "Not only is this the anniversary of my taking the Mayor's chain for the third time, it is also the anniversary of my marriage to John Rees, 14 years ago today, just four days after my taking on the role of Mayor for the first time.

"I would like to give a big thank you to my husband John, not only for the lovely life we have shared, but for helping me to carry out the duties of Mayor to the best of my ability."

She continued: "The task of consort, or Mayoress, is not an easy one. For the main part, they are not members of the council, and have no civic responsibility, but they perform all that is asked of them, always there in the background to support the Mayor and enable them to perform their duties for the council and the town. I think the town council owe a big debt of gratitude to all the people who have been kind enough over the years, to take on this onerous responsibility."

Reflecting on her year in office, Clr. Mrs. Rees said: "This has been a very difficult year for me because, not only did I take on the role of Mayor at short notice, I also took on and fought a battle that I was not expecting to fight; that of saving Narberth Swimming Pool.

"I would like to thank the members of the council for the support they have given from the very beginning of that battle and give a huge thank you to all the people who have been involved with me in that fight, raising money, working as volunteers, buying shares, giving their expertise and much, much more, which has all contributed to me being able to say that Narberth Swimming Pool is now called SwimNarberth and belongs to the people and the community it serves.

"We still have a long way to go to make it sustainable for the long-term future, but we are working well, more people are using the pool and we will get there. Our next task will be to install PV panels on the roof which we are hoping to do before the summer and then we will look for funding to extend the facilities there."

And Clr. Mrs. Rees appealed: "We are all living in difficult times with cuts going on everywhere, but some things should be above money and we must be prepared to fight for what we want, if we are to leave any legacy for future generations. Pembrokeshire County Council will make enormous cuts over the next two years and I am sure that every community is struggling to maintain services in their area.

"We need to identify now what is at risk and whether it is important to us as a community, then decide what we have to do to save it. Make no mistake, we are the ones who must do it and by we, I don't only mean the town council, but everyone.

"As I said in December 2013, with regard to the Narberth Swimming Pool, it is pointless protesting about closures, we have to do something about stopping it! I was not going to let anyone close our swimming pool if I could help it and it is now run for, and by, the community it serves.

"If we want to keep our library, our public toilets, our youth club, or anything else, we must come up with a plan to take it over and do it ourselves. We lost the battle of Narberth's old CP School because we didn't act as soon as we knew it was closing. Now, not only is there going to be a development on the site which will decimate the fragile trade of our wonderful High Street, but to add insult to injury, they are going to build on desperately needed car parking.

"Nobody will be able to close SwimNarberth now except the people and community it serves. This takes determination, guts and willpower, but most of all it takes lots of passionate volunteers who are willing to work together, to get involved for the long term, roll up their sleeves and work for what they believe in, for the good of everyone. If you are not prepared to do that, don't moan when services are closed and lost forever."