This Saturday (April 16) saw Okehampton mayor Bob Tolley complete the Okehampton Times’ challenge to act as paper boy to raise money for charity.

Cllr Tolley set up stall on Okehampton’s Fore Street and Red Lion Yard to sell the latest copy of The Times, ultimately raising £61 for his chosen charity.

The Okehampton Times agreed that all money raised by the sale of the newspapers will go to the mayor’s chosencharity, Dream-A-Way, which offers Devon-based disabled people their dream holiday or day out.

Cllr Tolley said: ‘I would like to thank the Okehampton Times for their support in this challenge in offering the newspapers for free.

‘I am hoping to complete the Okehampton Town Council’s staff challenge to assist the parkkeeper with the Simmons Park rose pruning, which was delayed due to covid, this Thursday.’

So far, the mayor’s JustGiving page stands at £200 but Cllr Tolley is confident he will meet his target.

He added: ‘Together with the various donations and challenge payments we are nearing my challenge target, which we only started in January, of £500.’

The ‘Challenge the Mayor’ challenge started as a way for Cllr Tolley to raise money for charity, which due to covid he had been unable to do so beforehand.

As part of the challenge, the mayor has already acted as a North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team dog’s body which saw him spend a night on the moors pretending to be a lost and injured person.

Cllr Tolley has also painted his nails and dyed his hair and moustache in blue and yellow, the colours of both Ukraine and Okehampton.