Farnham Town Councillors have elected Cllr Jeremy Ricketts as the new Mayor of Farnham at the Town Council’s annual meeting, which was held on 8 May.

Cllr Ricketts was elected as a town councillor in 2011 and represents Weybourne and Badshot Lea. He has been the Deputy Mayor of Farnham for the past year and lead councillor for Farnham in Bloom for two years. He takes over the Mayor of Farnham role from Cllr Paddy Blagden.

Cllr Ricketts was born in Woking and moved to Farnham in the mid-1980s when he took over an equestrian business in Old Park. It was through the business that he met Debbie who later became his wife. They now have two daughters who attend local schools.

In his acceptance speech, Cllr Ricketts thanked councillors for electing him as Mayor. He said: “I am honoured and humbled to represent our great town as Mayor. I am looking forward to working with councillors and staff for the betterment of Farnham and its residents.”

He added: “I want to thank Paddy Blagden for his outstanding service and his leadership as Mayor. He has left some big shoes to fill. Paddy, thank you for all you did to move this town forward particularly highlighting our need for better infrastructure.”

Cllr Ricketts describes himself as a regular churchgoer, dog walker and table tennis player and says that Farnham has been a wonderful town to raise his family and fulfil his dreams.

Throughout his year, the Mayor is looking forward to supporting a number of local charities and a wide range of community organisations. The official Mayoral charity for 2014/15 is the Post-19 Group, which offers community-based programmes for young adults with learning difficulties.

The Mayor will be supported by Cllr Jill Hargreaves who has been elected as the Deputy Mayor of Farnham.

Anybody wishing to invite the Mayor to visit their organisation or to take part in an event can email Farnham Town Council or call 01252 712667.