THE large church of St Petroc’s in Bodmin was replete with pomp and pageantry as the deputy lord lieutenant, other town’s mayors, community figures and guests gathered for the town’s mayor choosing event.

It was a ceremony which began as laughter, after an unintentional faux-pas by Terry Williams, the town crier.

Announcing the arrival of the mayor, Cllr Liz Ahearn, Mr Williams accidentally declared: “Pray silence, for her worship, the mayor of Bodmin, Cllr Elizabeth Truss”. The mayor herself was highly entertained by the error, applauding while the church echoed with the sound of amusement.

She would later refer to herself jokingly as ‘Elizabeth Truss’ in a light-hearted response to the incident.

If anything, it set the tone for the rest of the ceremony, which while steeped in tradition and structured as such, was a generally jovial affair for those involved.

After the initial formalities, it was the turn of figures in the community to be celebrated for their work making Bodmin the community it is, with three awards presented by the mayor.

The first was a celebration of an outstanding volunteer in the form of Marion Adams, who is a long-serving and dedicated volunteer with the Bodmin Town Museum, located on Mount Folly.

Second to be awarded was an award for ‘team spirit’, of which the eligibility seeks to commend a group of people within the community for the role they play in the town.

This year’s recipients were one of Bodmin’s better known volunteer groups, the Bodmin Tidy It Team, also known as the ‘Bluetits’. Led by Gilly Arnold, the Bluetits meet each week rain or shine to do some litter picking in a different part of the town, with the group becoming a purposeful social occasion that helps keep Bodmin’s streets clean.

A near-full complement of the Bluetit regulars joined Gilly in receiving the award, with the mayor thanking them on behalf of the Bodmin community for the work they do.

The final award this year was a second nomination for the ‘outstanding volunteer’ category, with the recipient being a long-standing fixture in the town’s community. Brian Connor, who recently retired after 38 years as the town’s mace bearer, was given a special gift of thanks on behalf of the town, presented by Cllr Mike Barbery in addition to his award.

With the celebrations of community figures out of the way, the attention returned to the formalities of the traditional mayor choosing event.

Cllr Liz Ahearn was proposed to be chosen as the mayor for a second term, a formality after the council’s unanimous vote in their most recent council meeting.

Cllr Mike Barbery was also proposed to serve as her deputy, representing the third term the retired driving instructor had served in the role having previously been a deputy mayor between 2022 and 2024.

While a formality, the proposing and seconding of the mayor and deputy mayor was an opportunity for the proposer and seconder for both candidates to use the occasion to pay a tribute to their leader-elects.

Cllr Ahearn was formally proposed as the mayor by Cllr Hilda Blacklaw with Cllr Mike Barbery serving as seconder, while Cllr Barbery was nominated and seconded by former mayors in the form of Cllr Jeremy Cooper and Cllr Andy Coppin respectively.

After both had made and signed their declarations of office, it was a brief retirement for ‘robing’ for the pair while those in attendance were entertained with a cacophony of audio excellence from the Loveny Male Voice Choir with a rendition of Cornish classics.

After the interlude, Cllr Ahearn gave an address to those present, responding to her election and detailing the successes of the council in the year to date, before announcing that Bodmin Age Concern would be the recipient of funds raised as the mayor’s chosen charity.

The mayor’s appointments to serve as the mayoral party for the upcoming term was then announced. Terry Williams was confirmed as the town crier, with Daniel Brinson and Phil Wrixon as the town sergeant and mayor’s servant respectively while Paul Deacon will serve as the reserve mace bearer and Rev. Elaine Munday will remain as the mayor’s chaplain.

After the finalities, those present were led out of the church by the deputy lord lieutenant on behalf of the King, prior to a parade from St Petroc’s Church to Shire Hall, where guests joined the mayor for refreshments and conversation.

Speaking after the event, Cllr Ahearn said that her aims for the year ahead were to make further progress on the council’s stated objectives and to continue the council’s progress after its successful navigation through a challenging term.