At a ceremony held at St John’s Hall on Tuesday 7 May, Councillors, special guests, and local community groups gathered to celebrate the achievements of local residents and confirm the current Mayor and Deputy Mayor for a second term of office.
The Brian Spiegelhalter Citizen of the Year Awards were started in 2004 by the family of the late Brian Spiegelhalter, a previous Mayor of Penzance, to celebrate the work of local people and their important contributions to our Parish community.
Following public nominations, the winner of this year’s award was announced by Mayor of Penzance, Councillor Stephen Reynolds, and presented with an engraved pewter plate kindly provided by BJ Spiegelhalter & Son.
The winner was Constance Morris, for her dedication to marine conservation work in Mounts Bay and her inspiring educational workshops as part of Grampus Campus CIC.
This year marks the first appointment of the Mayor’s Young Artist of the Year. The Penzance Town Mayor has traditionally appointed sea, air and police cadets every year, reflecting the importance of these services to the lives of our communities. But art and culture also play a huge role in local life, and so this year the Mayor wanted to formally recognise this by appointing a Young Artist of the Year.
This year, the Mayors Young Artist is Zac Henshall from Penwith College. Zac will receive a bursary of £500 and have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and flair to the community of Penzance by creating a piece of visual art inspired by the civic year and what the Parish means to them, with their final work being exhibited at the Penlee House Gallery and Museum in 2025.
This year’s Sir Humphry Davy Prize was awarded to Jacob Allen from Mounts Bay Academy for outstanding academic achievement in chemistry and physics.
The Mayor’s Sea Cadet for 2024/25 was also announced: Able Sea Cadet Autumn Rhodes-McClean, who received her official badge of office to wear on her uniform when attending civic functions in the coming year.
The retiring cadets were also awarded certificates for their service – Sea Cadet 1st Class Sonny Marsden, Air Cadet Corporal Harry Jenkins, and Police Cadet Edward Willetts.
And last, but by no means least, Councillor Stephen Reynolds and Councillor Will Elliott were both re-elected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively, with Cllrs Bonnie Jackson and Penny Young serving as Civic Deputies, and Mr Philip Northcott was again named as the Town Crier.
The ceremonial ‘swearing in’ of the Mace Bearers also took place with Mr Simon Reed and Mr Andrew Chellew solemnly taking the oath. Mr Talan Richards was also sworn in to serve as Deputy Sergeant at Mace.
Councillor Stephen Reynolds said “It’s an honour and a pleasure to be elected by my fellow-councillors to serve as Town Mayor for another year. But the annual mayor-choosing is about far more than just the Mayor. It’s about celebrating the amazing people who go the extra mile in our community, and a reminder of the importance of keeping local democracy alive in an increasingly challenging world.
“And finally, it’s an opportunity to thank Penzance Council staff for all they do to serve the public, and my fellow-councillors for giving freely of their time to represent their communities.”
The ceremony was followed by a buffet reception at The Exchange Gallery for all the award winners and special guests.
