COMMUNITY involvement is the primary goal of the coming year, according to the new mayor and portreeve of Callington who was elected to office on Tuesday.

After nominations were voted on, outgoing Portreeve Cllr Andrew Long handed over the chain of office to successor Cllr Mark Smith after he was elected as Callington and Kelly Bray’s new mayor for the coming year. Cllr Roger Denley was elected as deputy mayor.

Accepting his new position, Cllr Smith said: ‘I am honoured and humbled to have been elected to serve as portreeve and mayor of Callington for the coming year and I would like to offer a special thank you to my colleagues for entrusting this position to me.

‘Between my time serving on this council, running a local business and working as a firefighter, most of you know me by now and will be aware of my strong interest in preserving and developing the community spirit of our historic market town.

‘We pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking, proactive council, a stance that has served us well in light of the austerity cuts that have already begun to leave their mark on Cornwall.

‘These cuts make the provision of essential amenities a delicate balancing act. However, thanks to careful forward planning, we have successfully maintained town services, despite the cuts, and it is my hope that we will continue to do so.

‘This success is due in no small part to the hard work of my predecessor, Andrew Long, our outgoing portreeve.

‘Cllr Long has not only laid strong foundations for our town’s future, but has also afforded us a strong voice at County Hall by acting as an influential member of Cornwall Council. As such, I would like to thank him for all he has done for the town and for his continued commitment to this council.

‘This is a hard act to follow, but I hope to build on the ongoing work of the council to rejuvenate the local area and our growing community. A large part of this will focus on working with businesses within the parish to explore new means of preserving industry in the face of surging internet trade.

‘The residents of Callington and Kelly Bray have fantastic community spirit, as evidenced by the turnout at the many events and festivals occurring throughout the year. And even though there are still those that say nothing happens here, I have been heartened to see members of the community speaking up on social media to prove them wrong!

‘We host regular film shows, plays, orchestral performances and much more. Last month we were even visited by a national celebrity. Yet none of this could happen without community involvement, so this must be our primary goal moving forwards; to promote the vibrant array of activities our town has to offer.

‘Our parish has a lot to offer, yet it is often overlooked. With this in mind, I would like to offer a final thanks to all attending tonight, both for your support today and in the coming years as we work to make this fantastic little town even better.’