History is made as the Mayor of Beverley is re-elected

On Monday 9th May 2022 at the Guildhall in Beverley councillor Linda Johnson became the first Mayor to be elected for two consecutive years since Norman Dickenson (1996-97 and 1997-1998), 

The Liberal Democrat  Denis Healy proposed councillor Johnson and Labour Chloe Hopkins seconded the proposal for Councillor Linda Johnson to continue as Mayor of Beverley for a second term in office. (2021- 22 and 2022 - 23).

The Mayor of Beverley in her address announced her husband as her consort and Tom Astell as Deputy Mayor and went on to say, " What an honour it has been to be elected the 418th Mayor of Beverley, hope I have been a visible Mayor, in the town and at Civic events, and have been able to promote Beverley as the most wonderful town anyone could possibly imagine to live, work and play in, with the best people, the best buildings, the best countryside and the best surrounding villages. I have tried to be the best Mayor I can be, because the role has been part of our Civic heritage since Good Queen Bess endowed the honour in 1573". 

The Mayor continued to say "Beverley wouldn’t be here without St John, who established the town as a place of pilgrimage and tourism. Last year we celebrated 1300 years since his death and enjoyed a weekend of socially distanced events. On the Sunday, at an Anglican service, blessed an oak tree, in commemoration  of St John, with a further 1299 trees to be planted around the town, 1244 of which were planted on the Archery Field last month". 

In the past, Awards have been made at Mayor making,  but the Awards night was so successful that the mayor is going to repeat it, in November,  when the community will be able to nominate those people and organisations which go the extra mile to help their fellow man, when at least one new Honorary Freeman will be confirmed along with the Town Council Partnerships.  

Cheques were presented to Scope the Disability Charity.  Scope provides, amongst other services,  an advice and befriending line for people with all kinds of life-limiting disabilities which was vital during Covid. and to Hull and East Riding Breast friends. a donation of £150 was made to SSAFA in lieu of Christmas Cards – so a grand total of £1084 to three charities.

The Mayor chose the following charities this year - both are based on partnership working and enable beneficiaries to live their lives to the full. The first is Guide Dogs – because it would be lovely to know that a guide dog, perhaps called Beverley, is helping someone, an adult or a child with sight loss, to stay safe as they travel and maintain their independence. And Guide Dogs is based in Beverley! 

The second is Open Doors based at Princes Avenue Methodist Church in Hull. Open Doors works with asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers from all over the world, who find themselves in this area and don’t know where to turn. Open Doors helps all-comers navigate the system to rebuild their lives. 

The first BIG event for 2022 is the massive celebration for the Queen’s 70th Jubilee on Friday June 3rd, when Beverley will party with music and dancing, and there will be activities for young and old spread throughout the town. The town will be festooned with Union flags and residents and visitors alike wearing red, white and blue and big smiles. Everyone is invited, including civic guests, so do check out the website for more details. www.beverleyjubilee.co.uk