Last night, Monday June 1, Cllr Mark Luson became Marlborough’s 716th Mayor. Cllr Luson accepted the position of Mayor in front of an audience of councillors, former mayors, representatives of the community, and the Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire Ninna Gibson JP and the High Sherriff of Wiltshire Dr Alexander Goodwin. Cllr Emily Trow accepted the position of Deputy Mayor.
Proposing Cllr Mark Luson as Mayor, Cllr Nick Fogg referred to Cllr Luson’s career as Lieutenant Colonel and Commander of the Royal Tank Regiment. Leading a regiment in difficult circumstances would ably fit him for the role of Mayor suggested Cllr Fogg. He described him as a “man for all seasons” as he had served with the regiment in some of the hottest and coldest places in the world. Cllr Fogg commented that it’s possibly the first time in the country that a serving officer has also become a town mayor.
Cllr Mark Luson told the audience, “It is a huge honour to become Marlborough’s Mayor following in a huge line of mayors stretching back to 1310. Service is in my blood. I want to do everything I can to improve the lives of people in Marlborough.”
Cllr Luson appointed army chaplain Mark Nightingale as his chaplain. They worked together for over two years whilst training Ukrainian conscripts in the UK.
Retiring Mayor, Cllr Emily Trow , thanked everyone for their support during the year which had had so many highlights. She presented a cheque for £10K to Jeremy Lune, Chief Executive of Prospect Hospice. The money which was raised from a highly successful Gala Dinner, held at the Town Hall in March.
It comes as no surprise to learn that Cllr Luson’s choice of Mayor’s charity for the year will be the Royal British Legion – the charity that provides lifelong support to serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.
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May weather in Marlborough – a month of extremes
