'I WILL do what I can to promote and celebrate our town' — those were the words of new Okehampton town mayor, Cllr Paul Vachon, when he received the chain of office from outgoing mayor Cllr the Rev Mike Davies in a civic ceremony at the town hall last week. In his speech, Cllr Vachon stated his desire to see the town council and community work together to make a bright future for the town. He also acknowledged the successes of his predecessor, Cllr the Rev Davies. Cllr Vachon said: 'Mike has set the bar very high and he will certainly be a tough act to follow. I will work hard to keep going the initiatives started by our council and previous mayor, and I will do what I can to promote and celebrate our town. 'Okehampton Town Council has few actual powers, with most of those residing with the borough council. But we can be the voice of Okehampton. We can debate, question and lobby decisions made higher up, and share the feelings of residents of the town. 'Now should be the time Okehampton ceases to be an island cut off by poor transport and communication links. We should promote ourselves, our business, tourism, and everything else in the town.' Cllr the Rev Davies thanked Jane Gillard, clerk for Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council, and acting clerk for Okehampton Town Council for the majority of the last year, for her tireless work to ensure the workings of the council continued to run smoothly. At the beginning of a year in office, the mayor chooses two charities to support throughout their tenure. Cllr the Rev Davies chose to support Tor Support Services and Get Changed Theatre Company. Among the former mayor's fundraisers for the charities was an uninterrupted six hour charity cycle in Red Lion Yard. He presented Tor Support Services chair Dr Kathryn Vile and Get Changed trustee Carol Williamson with cheques for £826 for both organisations. Cllr the Rev Davies also presented four Okehampton mayoral awards to community figures and groups who have made an outstanding contribution to the community. Danielle Moore-Dunstan received an award for her tireless work in the community as a PCSO. She regularly visits schools, attended Okehampton Matters police liaison meetings, has attended the Keep Okehampton Tidy litter picks, and offers a helping hand where needed. Okehampton Excelsior Silver Band received an award to recognise their contribution to numerous town events as well as attending events around Devon and Cornwall, raising Okehampton's profile in the process. Margaret Allin picked up the award on behalf of the band. Two winners who sadly could not make the ceremony were Horace Rutley and Ross Campbell. Mr Rutley was recognised for his efforts to film, photograph and document the events in Okehampton over the last two decades, including town carnivals, remembrance parades and other notable events. Many of Horace's photographs and videos have been used by the Okehampton Community Archive. Mr Campbell was recognised for numerous efforts to serve the community — including sourcing and donating a large granite stone for Simmons Park's Queen Elizabeth II plaque. Cllr the Rev Davies said: 'Relinquishing the position of mayor is tinged with a little sadness for me as I loved serving this town as your mayor and meeting so many of its people. I know that Paul will be a good mayor and will serve you, the town, and this council well. It has been a privilege to work with Paul and I do commend him to you.'