THE new Mayor of Burnley has said he will take on the role with ‘a large spoonful of humility’ after he was formally inducted as the borough's first citizen.

Coun Andy Tatchell took over the reins from the outgoing Coun Frank Cant at Burnley Town Hall last night and pledged to raise funds for three charities close to his heart over the next 12 months.

And the Gawthorpe councillor, a regular at Turf Moor, hopes that the feel-good factor instilled by the Clarets’ promotion to the Premier League will rub off on the rest of the town.

Coun Tatchell, whose wife of 12 years, Lorna, is the new Mayoress, said it was an ‘honour’ to become Mayor.

The 64-year-old said: “It’s nice to be recognised but the hard work begins now and we need to get raising money for these good causes.

“I think there are about nine First World War events on the horizon too and I’ve been looking at my own family’s military history recently so it’s an important year.

“My father, Arthur, was injured in the Second World War and my grandfather had two brothers who died at Ypres with the Accrington Pals.”

Coun Tatchell, of Whalley Road, Padiham was first elected as a Labour councillor in Hapton and Park ward in 1998 and has represented Gawthorpe since 2004.

The retired postman was a high-ranking official at the North West branch of the Communication Workers’ Union for 30 years.

As Mayor, he intends to raise money for Pendleside Hospice, Emmaus Burnley and the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

He said: “The Christie have treated both my wife and my father, Arthur, in the past. With Emmaus, my dad was orphaned when his mum died at work. When you’ve got homelessness and food banks in Burnley, it’s something we should be concentrating on.

“Pendleside Hospice were absolutely magnificent when Lorna’s mum was in there.

“And I think it’s somewhere which touches everyone in Burnley.”