Dawlish has a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Val Mawhood was unanimously elected Mayor at the Annual Town Council meeting on Wednesday, May 5, and Cllr Lisa Mayne was elected Deputy Mayor by majority vote.

The chain of office was officially handed over to Cllr Mawhood, who promised to 'represent council, town and parish to best of my abilities, and work towards the recovery of Dawlish from this last very difficult period, looking towards a thriving future for residents and businesses alike'.

Cllr Foden then made a speech looking back at her term of office, quoting from Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

She looked back on the excitement of her first 10 months in the role, representing the town council at events, meeting people and community groups, and enjoying the 'fabulous' Dawlish Celebrates Carnival Week and the Christmas Market.

Then, in March 2020, she returned from a week's holiday just two days before the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown.

She said: "Lockdown was totally new to all of us - restrictions on our movements, strict instructions to stay inside, and a public health emergency."

Cllr Foden said Dawlish's response to the pandemic had made her appreciate the 'amazing and empowering community of Dawlish' and she had seen 'the positives of connections and people working together'.

She recalled that in April 2020 Dawlish Town Council was commended by the Government minister Robert Jenrick and the National Association of Local Councils for being one of five councils 'leading the way' with the establishment of Helping Dawlish.

As the town council considered its consitution for the coming months, Cllr Foden was asked by the then Deputy Mayor, Cllr Val Mawhood, to continue in the role. "I thought that stability and continuity would be the best option for Dawlish Town Council and the parish of Dawlish at a time of unprecedented crisis and increased stress, hence I volunteered to serve as Mayor, thinking it would only be for six months maximum."

She recalled the sudden change to virtual town council meetings on Zoom and live on Facebook, the huge efforts made to look after the town's most vulnerable residents, and the planning for Covid-secure measures in preparation for when the town could open up again.

She said: "Among my positive memories are attending all the films shown at the Dawlish drive-in cinema, organising the virtual Easter Bunny parade this year, helping with the Poppy Wall and Luke WaveWalker story competition, plus organising the creation of A Dawlish Christmas Carol."

Cllr Foden concluded that it had been 'a huge honour to be the Mayor of Dawlish especially during this most difficult time', and that she had managed it on top of her day job at the RD&E Hospital in Exeter.

She thanked all the town council staff for their support and guidance during the year, including the town clerk Andrew McKenzie and projects officer Angie Weatherhead, and the two waterfowl wardens – as well as all the town councillors.

In response, Cllr Val Mawhood, said: "You're going to be a hard act to follow," before presiding over the rest of the meeting in her new role as Mayor of Dawlish.