Kelham Cooke hands over as Mayor of Stamford to Amanda Wheeler
A drama teacher with Shakespearian skills has been made the new Mayor of Stamford.
Amanda Wheeler, 55, took over the chain of office from Kelham Cooke, who has served a year in the ceremonial role, which also carries the duty of chairing meetings of Stamford Town Council.
Having been elected by members of the town council present at Tuesday’s meeting (May 27), Coun Wheeler praised Coun Cooke for his past year’s service, noting that he had set a high standard for her to follow.
She added: “Thank you for trusting me and giving me this honour. I know not all of you agree with me all the time, but I will carry out the role to the best of my abilities.”
Coun Wheeler is a qualified teacher who specialises in drama, public speaking and voice coaching.
Before presenting Coun Wheeler with the chain of office, Coun Cooke said it had been an ‘enormous privilege and an honour’ to represent the town and see the pride, energy and generosity people have.
The two had joked about being ‘unlikely to get on’ when they first met on the council - Coun Cooke is a Conservative while Coun Wheeler is an Independent - but shared that they enjoy one another’s company and are supportive of each other.
Jane Kingman, Mayor of Bourne in 2007-8, was then elected deputy mayor of Stamford for the coming 12 months. Having moved to Stamford, she now represents residents of St Mary’s Ward on its town council and on South Kesteven District Council. She is a Conservative.