WOKINGHAM Town's new mayor has been officially elected in a special ceremony held at the Town Hall.

Cllr Julian McGhee-Sumner took up the year-long position on Sunday under the careful watch of his wife, Judith, his family, friends, fellow councillors, and dignitaries.

A choral performance by children from St Paul's Junior School and a string quartet from West Forest Sinfonia provided the entertainment for the mayor-making ceremony, which officially starts Cllr McGhee-Sumner's year in post.

A civic parade then made its way through the streets of Wokingham to All Saints Parish Church, where the Reverend Canon David Hodgson presided over a service.

He was first elected as Town Councillor for Wescott ward in May 2003, and has previously held the post of deputy mayor under two different serving mayors, and has chaired a number of committees on the town council.

Cllr McGhee-Sumner formally chose his two charities for the year, as it customary for all new mayors. He has chosen to support Wokingham Food Bank and The Link Visiting Scheme for 2018/19.

The deputy town mayor for the forthcoming term will be Cllr Malcolm Richards.

Cllr McGhee-Sumner said: "It is a great honour to be chosen as this year’s Wokingham Town Mayor and I am looking forward to serving the town in 2018/19. The coming year is one of the most important in the renewal of our town; much investment has been made to regenerate our town, and I look forward to working with the traders and businesses this year for the benefit of everyone connected to our town.

"I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible this year.”