Following her recovery from a life changing accident in France five years ago Jo Lane was persuaded to stand for the local council by friend and stalwart of Town and County Council David Ravenscroft. Last year she was elected as Deputy Mayor and this year she was elected Town Mayor. Her first action after taking over as Mayor was to nominate David Ravenscroft as her Deputy, a position he accepted at the Annual Meeting of the Town council on Monday, May 10th.

After the meeting at which the committee members and representatives for outside bodies were appointed the Mayor Making ceremony was held.

Councillor Jo Lane took the oath to serve the town as Mayor of Ross and then former Mayor Councillor John Edwards handed over the robes and chain of office

He said the new Mayor is a true Rossian, having been born and bred in Ross. Her father, Martin Morris was a distinguished editor of The Ross Gazette for many years, so Jo has a great knowledge of local news and people.

The new Mayor thanked Councillor Edwards for the work he had done as Mayor. Then she announced that, as a former Guide, with 1st Ross Guides and Miss Eltom, in this 100th year of Guiding, she had invited Chloe James of Bridstow Guides to work with her and the Mayor presented her with a special badge.

Mum and Dad would have been so proud says new Mayor of Ross

It was a family occasion when the new Mayor of Ross was handed the robe and chain of office by former Mayor Councillor John Edwards. Jo chose her husband, Rob, as her consort and the ceremony was watched by various members of her family, including her son Tom, a designer and illustrator, and her daughter, a senior midwife at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester.

Jo's only regret was that her mother and father were not alive to see her become the Mayor of the town they loved. She said they would have been so proud.

Jo told the audience, made up of friends and invited guests that she had chosen the Hereford branch of the Macular Disease Society as her charity of the year. She explained that this was what her father, Martin Morris, had suffered with.

Former Mayor John Edwards presented the Town Council Award for Community Service by a Volunteer to Iris Price.

Iris is a stalwart of theatrical productions providing costumes for the Larruperz Community Theatre, X-entricity Youth Theatre, the Savoy Theatre Players, the Forest Theatre Musical Society among others. She is on the fund raising committee for several charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Help For Heroes, Age Concern Ross and the Ross and District Community Association. Iris also carries out accounts work for several PCCs as well as Bridstow School and Village Hall.