PRESS RELEASE
At a meeting of Whitworth Town Council on Thursday 23 May, Councillor Karen Ruane was elected by Town Council members as Mayor of Whitworth. The meeting was attended by family and friends of Councillor and Mr Ruane, and visiting dignitaries including the new Mayor of Rossendale.
Councillor Ruane will be supported in her role as Mayor by her husband, Peter, as Mayoral Consort. The Mayor and Consort will attend functions and events within Whitworth and outside of the town’s boundary, and Councillor Ruane will chair Full Council meetings. Fundraising for the Mayor of Whitworth’s Charity Fund will also begin in earnest. Councillor Ruane made a speech during the meeting, describing the role as “an honour” and saying: “As Mayor I look forward to working alongside my fellow councillors and our Clerk to provide the best possible service to our community. And Peter and I are going to try and raise as much money as possible over the next twelve months, to be donated to organisations or charities working within Whitworth.”
Karen and Peter have lived in Whitworth for 40 years and their children, Anthony and Gillian, attended Tonacliffe Primary and Whitworth Community High School. Karen has worked for the Cooperative Bank for 20 years, and has been a town councillor since 2007 and Deputy Mayor since January 2012.
At the meeting, Councillor Jim Mellor was elected as Deputy Mayor and his wife Susan becomes Deputy Mayoress; their role will be to deputise for the Mayor and Consort during their year in office before taking on the chains themselves in 2014, and Councillor Mellor will also chair the Council’s General Purposes Committee meetings. The outgoing Mayor, Councillor David Barnes, gave a short speech when he thanked all in Whitworth for their support, and also paid tribute to his wife and Mayoress, Lynda, for being his “memory and chief organiser”.
Pictured are Councillor Karen Ruane and her husband Peter, the new Mayor and Consort of Whitworth. For further information, please contact Karen Douglas, Town Clerk at Whitworth Town Council on 01706 852018 / email info@whitworth.gov.uk.
