The city’s annual Mayor Making ceremony took place on Saturday 1st June at Bath Abbey.
Deputy Mayoress Lydia Malloy, Deputy Mayor Cllr Ruth Mallor, Mayor Cllr Michelle O’Doherty and Consort Christopher Godfrey | Photo © Mayor’s Office
Councillor Michelle O’Doherty was formally appointed, taking on the historic role as the 797th Mayor of Bath.
Avon Fire & Rescue’s ceremonial drill squad made a Guard of Honour on the Guildhall steps, and then at Bath Abbey.
The Abbey bells rang as the civic procession arrived, led by the Mayor’s Officer Terry Mitchell and the 93 (City of Bath) Squadron RAF Marching Band, police stave-bearers PCs Gareth Hobbs and James Evans and Chief Inspector Scott Hill from Avon & Somerset Constabulary.
The city sword-bearer Stephen Herbert and mace-bearers Roger Hawke and Roger Williams preceded the retiring Mayor, Councillor Dine Romero, and retiring Deputy Mayor Councillor Dr Bharat Pankhania.
They were accompanied by the Deputy Lieutenant Edward Bayntun-Coward DL, visiting Mayors, Charter Trustees, Honorary Aldermen and other VIP guests.
A large number of people lined the route to watch.
In her inaugural speech, the new Mayor said: “I am looking forward to maintaining the tradition of working with and celebrating the many diverse communities in our city.
“Bath is a small city with a big heart; I love the strong sense of community in the city, people really do look out for one another here. My partner, Christopher Godfrey, will be my Consort for the year.
“My theme for this year will be ‘Bath – a home for everyone’, and in particular, I would like to focus on highlighting the plight of those members of our community for whom life is not easy, particularly those who are homeless and also highlighting the many wonderful organisations we have in Bath who work tirelessly to support them.
“Bath is an incredibly special place, but it is not without its challenges; there are many people who live here who are struggling to make ends meet and who maybe live in insecure housing, or even do not have a home at all, and it is to them that I would like to dedicate my year in office.”
Councillor Ruth Malloy was appointed as Deputy Mayor. She said: “I look forward very much to working with the Mayor over the next 12 months, meeting and welcoming both local people and visitors from beyond Bath, on behalf of the city.
“In this role of city ambassador, I also hope to promote our two UNESCO World Heritage Site listings: the City of Bath, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987, and more recently in 2021, the serial transnational Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site.
“My daughter Lydia has agreed to be my Deputy Mayoress; I’m sure she’ll be a great youth ambassador for the City of Bath.”
Musical performances were given at the ceremony by the City of Bath Male Choir and the Welcome Chorus, led by Grenville and Laurie Jones.
Members of the Mayor’s Corps of Honorary Guides, Bath Abbey staff and St John Ambulance provided valuable services for the ceremony, and a retiring collection was made for the Mayor of Bath’s Relief Fund, which helps local people suffering real hardships.
