Royston Town Mayor 2021

Published: 19 May 2021

I am delighted to become Mayor of Royston at such a pivotal time for our country. With lockdown restrictions easing, it is now time to look forward. Our Town will start to feel more like normal, and Royston will soon start to feel and look more like the place we choose to call home.

Perhaps symbolically, we will soon see the reopening of the Parish Church. Family events such as the Kite Festival are scheduled to take place this summer; sport whether as a spectator or a participant, will resume and this September our schools will hopefully be able to offer our children an uninterrupted school year.

Some things will be quicker to recover than others. Just as some people will be more resilient than others, we may particularly need to extend support to those who have experienced mental health challenges over the last year. I intend to give particular attention to the needs of young people in the Town, to ensure that they have the equality of every opportunity to succeed in a safe and secure environment.

As a long-standing businessman in the Town, I want to see us take every opportunity to ensure economic success and I will ensure that we continue to improve our environment, so that we can enjoy our Town to its full potential. I was first elected as Royston's Mayor in 1990. The pre-digital world was a very different place, Royston was around half its present size in terms of population, and its boundaries were much smaller. Sadly, many of the people who made up our community 30 years ago have moved on or are no longer with us. This certainly gives a feel for our own mortality. We are custodians of our Town for such a short time, and I think that we all aspire to leave the Town better, stronger and well placed for the future.

As part of an independent nation, we should reach out to our European friends, to show that we are still good neighbours and through our Town Twinning arrangements I look forward to welcoming them to Royston again soon.

My consort this year will be my wife, Hazel.

My Mayoral Charities will be; After Umbrage, St John Ambulance and The Mayor's Community Trust Fund

I look forward to serving the community of Royston as Mayor.

Mark Hughes, May 2021