Introducing the borough's new mayors

Brighouse Councillor Howard Blagbrough is looking forward to year ahead after being made the Mayor of Calderdale.

“I am absolutely delighted and honoured to have been selected and chosen to become the Mayor of Calderdale. I am equally delighted that Catherine Kirk has agreed to be the Mayoress.

“Fr Paul Webb from St Martin’s Parish Church Brighouse attended my inauguration and has agreed to be my chaplain for the year.

“Both the Mayoress and I are looking forward to meeting a variety of people and attending the many planned events in the diary. We are particularly looking forward to hosting Yorkshire Day on August 1.

“I would like to thank Coun Lisa Lambert for the role in which she has played this year. You could not have asked for a better person to represent the Borough over the past twelve months.”

Coun Blagbrough has chosen three charities for the forthcoming year to support, TLC – Together for Looked-after Children, The Forget Me No Children’s Hospice and The Brighouse Rest Centre.

It was second time around for the new Mayor of Todmorden, Coun Tony Greenwood, 30 years after he became the town’s leading citizen for the first time.

And as Coun Greenwood pointed out at the 120th Mayor-Making ceremony at historic Todmorden Town Hall, the town has yet to meet its 100th Mayor. Retiring Mayor Coun Steph Booth was the 99th - but as Mayors taking the role more than once do not “count double”, the 100th was still to come, he said.

Coun Greenwood, taking office with his Mayoress Vivianne Oakes, said over the past 30 years some things had changed but others remained the same.

“These chains remain the same - the delicate Mayoress’s chain and this ‘beast’...Todmorden never comes second to anywhere else and whilst I am wearing it I intend to maintain the dignity of the town and of the office,” he said.

His Mayoral charity for the year will be Macmillan Nurses.