Cllr Richard “Dick” Taplin has been elected as Godmanchester's new Town Mayor for 2022/23, and he will be supported by Cllr Colin Hyams, who will be in his second term as Deputy Mayor.

Both were elected into their positions on May 19 during the Town Councils Annual General Meeting.

Cllr Taplin said: “I am deeply concerned by the current financial climate, particularly for those on limited means. The rising cost of food and energy, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, will mean that families will have less money to support themselves, and thus my selected charity for this year is the Godmanchester Foodbank, which does such excellent work in helping families throughout Huntingdonshire.”

“Our town continues to grow, with many new families coming to live in Romans Edge and nearby developments, and we need to welcome and integrate these newcomers to our town.

"At the same time, we seek to improve our environmental footprint and thus wish to encourage the growth and addition of local businesses such that our citizens can walk to work through our lovely town.

"In all these initiatives, I am most fortunate to be supported by a great Council and a first-rate civic team led by our Town Clerk, Vicky Pryce.”

For one of Cllr Taplin's first mayoral engagements, he travelled to Island Hall on Post Street on May 29 with his wife, mayoress Nan Taplin, to visit the open garden as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Former mayor Christopher Vane Percy hosted the Island Hall open garden, and the mayor and mayoress had a stint on the well-stocked plant sale.

Cllr Taplin said: “I am very happy to give this excellent event my full support. Island Hall is a unique house in the centre of our community, and I very much appreciate the efforts that Christopher and his family put into supporting local and national charities.”

“We have a few more local events laid on for the Jubilee, and also the official opening of the new fish pass and waterside area on 9th June, which has been jointly funded by Godmanchester Town Council, Huntingdon District Council, The Environment Agency and the A14 Heritage Fund.”