Godmanchester Town Mayor 2021/22

The Mayor of Godmanchester is Councillor Clifford (Cliff) Thomas. He has served on the Council for three years, for the most part as Chair of the Business Portfolio Group. Cllr Thomas served for 30 years in the Royal Air Force, including as a Squadron Commander at RAF Wyton, living overseas in Canada and Germany, and working in Whitehall on the Air Staff at The Ministry of Defence. This was followed by several years as a private contractor before, on retirement, joining a Ministry of Justice Independent Monitoring Board. His wife, Ann, will be joining Cllr Thomas as the Mayoress. Ann and Cliff have lived in Godmanchester for 40 years.

The Mayoral Chain

The Mayoral Chain of Office of Godmanchester

“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 Mayors Charities 2021/22

The Pandemic has had a profound effect on our community in so many ways and, as we emerge from the crisis and begin the process of rebuilding, there are many who will remain vulnerable and in need of our support. Because of this, I am designating the Godmanchester Food Bank as the beneficiary of the Mayor’s Charity. I hope for your support in the coming year.

The Mayor’s Monthly Message

I am planning to write after each Town Council meeting to offer a brief overview of what went on and to outline any major decisions that were agreed. These short updates will be posted monthly on the Council website and I hope you will find them useful.