IT had been an exciting and enriching year, outgoing mayor Cllr Graham Price told Dawlish Town Council's annual meeting last week. And he hoped he had made 'some success of it'. He said that during his time in office he attended more than 100 functions and stated it had been a privilege to represent the town. 'It's been very honouring and positive,' he said. 'And all the people I've met have been very kind to my family and I. It's been very humbling.' He said that although Dawlish was not rich in monetary terms, it was rich in its people and that, through his visits to places such as Daw Vale and Dawlish Hospital, his own experience had been ameliorated. He thanked his chaplain, the Rev Helen Bays, for her spiritual guidance, and particularly thanked his daughter, Vicki, and wife, Christine, without whom it would not have been possible to carry out his duties. Two cheques were presented to representatives of the mayor's chosen charities. Dawlish medical practice received £1,500 to buy a heart monitor for the Bartons Surgery. Accepting the cheque, locality manager Janine Payne said the Dawlish practice would now be only one of two in Devon that could provide a service which enabled patients to be monitored in their own home. Aims – a local charity that helps families with children who have special needs – benefited from £330, which was accepted by Jill Diprose. The new mayor is Cllr Tom Bush, who told members that he would 'serve to town to the best of my ability'. He chose to set up a trust to raise money for the war memorial at St Gregory's Church, rather than having a chosen charity. His cadet for the year is Robbie Burdett, who was invested with a sash. Cllr Bush said: 'We have a town to be proud of, a community to be proud of, and indeed a council to be proud of. I hope you will be proud of the mayoress, my wife Jacquie.' The deputy mayor is Cllr Rosalind Prowse. The council's citizens' award was won by John Partridge, in recognition of his work in the community with various organisations in the town. Cllr Wally Protheroe reported on his year as chairman of the finance and general purposes committee, describing it as 'eventful'. He said the sale of the Leonard Lamb Centre had produced £600,000 to be used for the town, but could only be used on capital spends. He also said that many organisations had benefited financially from grants throughout the year. Retiring chairman of planning, Cllr Margaret Dickson, said it had been a busy year for the committee and that in addition to routine applications, they had studied Teignbridge Council's Local Development Framework at its various stages. Cllr Rosalind Prowse, of the civic amenities committee, said: 'In its second year since its conception, this committee has continued to thrive. 'We hope to provide another bus at the sea front, are still battling for allotments at Brown's Brook, and are taking as many precautions as possible regarding bird flu.' All three chairman of the various committees thanked fellow councillors for support as well as the town clerk, John Winchester and the council's administrative assistants.
