PADIHAM'S first town mayor for 35 years today praised the work of the council as he prepared to hand over his chains.

Councillor Granville Lord said he was delighted the town had its own council and he had been given the chance to be its first chairman and mayor.

He will hand over the role to his deputy Coun Bob Clarke, of Rossall Close, who hopes to carry on the good work.

Coun Lord said: "I will miss everything about being mayor. It has been brilliant. The council has done better than we thought it would. Shops have been bought up in the town centre and the councillors have been very professional to say it is the first time a lot of them have been on a council. I'm very proud of them all.

"It is a really exciting time for Padiham now. Everything was just starting up during my year but I think Bob will have an even better year because things will be coming to fruition.

"I enjoyed going out on engagements and the appreciation we get from people is brilliant. We have met all sorts of lovely people and it makes it all worthwhile.

"I will miss being mayor. I'll have very fond memories and can't pinpoint one particular thing I will miss most. I am very proud to be associated with Padiham Town Council. The effort councillors have put in has made being mayor so much easier."

A father-of-two and a grandfather, Coun Clarke said he was looking forward to gaining more experience as mayor.

He said: "The council does appear to be making good progress and I'd just like to progress it further and carry on where Granville left off. There's so many improvements to be made and in most aspects we are finding people are being supportive.

"We hope from year to year the progress will improve. Obviously in the first year it was a learning process for myself and others and we are now finding our feet. I've had trade union experience previously and was on the steering group but this was the first time I had been a councillor. There is far more to it than I expected."

Coun Clarke, an industrial dismantler, will propose Hazel Rushton as his mayoress. She is well-known in Padiham for her work in the community.

He said: "My wife Ann is a teacher and is very busy so she would not have the time to fulfil the role, whereas Hazel is retired and has the time to commit herself. It will be a good thing for her."

Coun Clarke, a former coal miner, is also a trustee of the Hapton Valley Disaster Fund and commercial manager of Padiham Football Club.

Padiham had its own urban district council until local government reorganisation in 1974 when it became part of Burnley Borough Council.

The new council was based on the lines of the old district council with five wards each with three councillors.