Godmanchester Town Mayor 2023/24
alan hooker
Cllr Alan Hooker was installed as Godmanchester’s new Town Mayor on Thursday 18 May 2023 and will be supported by Cllr Miriam Radford for the following 12 months as Deputy Mayor.
Cllr Hooker moved up from London to Cambridge 50 years ago to open the first of two clothing and footwear boutiques; the second in Bury St Edmunds. It was in the Cambridge shop, Mandrake, that he met his wife to be (and now Mayoress) Kathy Hooker, they were married on Thursday 11 September 1975, early closing day!
In 1980 they moved to Godmanchester bringing daughter Bonnie, Cllr Hooker having had a change of direction from passive to direct sales; daughter Jessica arrived in 1983. There are now six grandchildren, both families still living in the immediate area.
In 1982, Cllr Hooker took on the role of Treasurer of the Godmanchester Community Association, a role that he still enjoys today. Twelve years ago, he became Life President of the Association and was also awarded the title of Honorary Freeman of Godmanchester by the Town Council, on which he has now served for the past five years.
With his long and strong ties within the Community, Cllr Hooker is mindful of the impact the necessary enlargement of the Town is inevitably going to have, the importance of encouraging newcomers to become involved in all that Godmanchester has to offer and become part of the Community.
Cllr Hooker’s chosen will be:
‘FOREVER GREEN’ Child Bereavement Support
“With a very successful adult bereavement organisation based in Godmanchester, Adam’s Rose, and a year or longer waiting list for the same support for children it seems help at this early age is essential to minimise damage and help them recover from the trauma”.
“I follow in the footsteps of some outstanding Town Mayors aiming to support my colleagues on the Council to successfully build on their successes to date with the help of our very professional civic team led by Town Clerk, Vicky Pryce”
Cllr Alan Hooker
Godmanchester Town Mayor
“That the Bailiffs of old wore robes must be an acknowledged fact”, as Mr Bird wrote in 1912, and he stated that Richard Miles wore a type of robe when he was in office in 1827 at the time the original Chinese Bridge was built. The robe was made out of some heavy black material such as bombazine or camlet, and a trimmed black plush around the collar and sides. There was no Mayor’s robe until Mr Charles Veasey was Mayor in 1883, he presented the first Mayors robe to the Council. The colour of this robe was blue trimmed with fur, but still there was no chain of office to be worn. It entered into the minds of some that an ancient Town like Godmanchester should possess a Mayoral chain, and that it would be a befitting manner to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee. Mr E Tillard was the Mayor in 1896/97 and the affair was put into motion. An appeal was made to those who had passed the chair of office and to the members of the families who their ancestors had officially been connected to the old Borough, and the result was most satisfactory. An order was made for the chain to be made by a London company and it was completed in June 1897.
The Mayor’s Charity for 2023/24 will be
forever green
The Mayor’s Monthly Message
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