The speech I gave at the Mayor Making

Esteemed guests, great and wonderful people of Buckingham, my treasured family, our miraculous Town Clerk and his glorious team, and my glittering fellow Town Councillors: welcome one and all. Thank you so much for making the time to be here this evening.

I am humbled by your presence and deeply honoured to have been elected Town Mayor for the forthcoming year by my councillor colleagues. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility.

I promise to be the best Mayor that I can be. I will faithfully and diligently serve the Town Council and the people of our fair parish to the best of my abilities. I will be relentless in searching for all ways to help Buckingham become an even better place in which to live, work, study, visit and play.

I am not a little daunted by the year ahead and what it will bring. But I know that my Councillor colleagues, the Town Clerk and his Team, the Deputy Mayor to be, Cllr Mark Cole, and my family (especially my inspirational wife and Mayoress to be), will be backing me all the way. You all help in giving me the confidence and ambition to succeed. Thank you.

Ambition is a very important word to me. When I review all of what I have sought to do in my life: professionally, personally and politically, I have arrived at the conclusion that ambition lies at the heart of it all. I have always aimed to do all that I can to help create a world in which everyone has dreams and ambitions, and the wherewithal to achieve these.

Ambition is a precious thing and I think we need more of it in our world. Ambition, hope and dreams are good for our health and well being, and they good for our society too as they drive our economy and improvements in community spirit.

And so as Mayor, I will be carrying on with my focus on ambition. Ambition will be a key theme of my Mayoralty. I will be looking for all ways in which I can support, nurture, recognise and rejoice in the ambition present in all those whom I will meet.

Tonight I am initiating the ‘Buckingham Ambition Project’. I don’t yet know what precise form the BAP will will take but I know that something magical will emerge over time.

And I hope that everyone here will consider how they might take part: how will each of you continue to support ambition in Buckingham - what more could you do?

I can also announce now that there will be a charitable fundraising dance in March next year, to be called the BAP Bop! Watch this space

And whilst ambition is something for all ages of course, I have chosen three charities that support children and young people to lead ambitious and fulfilling lives. I hope you will feel able to make a generous donation this evening to launch this year’s Mayor’s Charities Collection: for our local Buckingham Youth Club, the NSPCC and UNICEF. Children and young people here in Buckingham, nationally and around the world will benefit from your generosity.

And finally, I want to pay tribute to all the past Mayors who are here this evening including naturally Andy who is just stepping down. Thank you for your support and guidance. I have some very hard acts to follow!

Thank you again to all of you for being here this evening.