THE new mayor of West Devon has pledged to serve the residents of the borough — and get fit enough to run a half marathon for charity — after being elected to serve for the coming year.

Councillor the Rev Mike Davies formally accepted his position as mayor of the borough at the West Devon Borough Council meeting at Kilworthy Park, Tavistock on Tuesday.

Cllr Davies takes over as mayor from Councillor Jeff Moody, who has served in the ceremonial role for the past 12 months.

Mr Davies, who represents Okehampton North on the council, said: ‘On behalf of us all I would like to thank our outgoing mayor, Cllr Jeff Moody and his wife Bev for serving this council with such enthusiasm over the last year. I am not sure how many events they attended but I know it was a lot.’

He also announced the two charities he would be supporting during the year as mayor’s charities.

The first is Exeter-based Hospiscare in memory of Jennifer Bourne, the late wife of the padre of the Okehampton (2443) air cadets squadron, who died of cancer last June.

Jennifer was cared for at the Hospiscare hospice in Exeter in the last few weeks of her life, and the charity has since supported her husband and sons.

‘Hospiscare provides care for any type of terminal illness, and their caring team of doctors and nurses are there to help both the patient and their family in the last few weeks of their life,’ said Cllr Davies. ‘Watching someone, and their family, suffer due to a terminal illness is painful and provides a feeling of hopelessness for all, in the lack of support you can offer. Hospiscare has provided and still provides support to many of the families within West Devon.

The new mayor’s second charity will be Children’s Hospice South West, in memory of an Okehampton schoolgirl Emily Hamel who died in October 2009, a few short months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

‘In one of my terms as mayor of Okehampton I raised funds for Children’s Hospice South West and I will be doing so again in the next 12 months,’ he said. ‘I will be doing this in memory of the Emily and the many children of West Devon who have sadly had to have the support of such a caring charity.’

He pledged to support both charities by getting fit enough to run the Bristol Half Marathon in September. He said he would be placing his exercise bike in various locations around the borough ‘with the hope that as I pedal along some may find it in the heart to put a few pennies in the collection bucket’.

He also mentioned the tough financial challenges which the council faces over the coming year, due to cuts in central government funding to all local authorities.

‘I appreciate that each one of us will do their best to represent the residents of West Devon and those within our own wards,’ he said. ‘However, we need to work together to ensure that West Devon becomes a borough to be proud of.’

The council also voted for a new deputy mayor, Councillor Tony Leech, who also represents Okehampton North on the council.