Councillor June Cully will step down as Mayor of Gosport this Wednesday after an extremely busy year. A Councillor for 11 years, June took on the role of Mayor in May last year - a challenge that would see her undertake the role of wife, mother, full time employee, Councillor and Mayor – and with only 24 hours a day in which to achieve it!
During the year she has attended everything from birthdays for 100 year old residents, to the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. June headed the tremendous Haslar Freedom Parade and extended the Freedom of the Borough to the MDHU Portsmouth. She also nominated and presented the Freedom of the Borough to local resident Syd Ashby, made former Councillor Alex Hayward an Honorary Freeman, started a Poetry Box Scheme for residents and represented the Borough on a visit to Royan in France.
But it hasn’t all been about going out and about .For June has been a popular Mayor, a Mayor of the people, equally at home in the Parlour. For as well as holding coffee mornings at the town hall to raise money for her charities, June has invited schoolchildren, young people, local groups, organisations, charity fundraisers, sports personalities such as Dee Cafferri and Robin Knox Johnson and heads of nearby Naval Establishments to the Parlour. All have been made equally welcome. For some it has been tea and cake, others cheese and wine but for many it has been a meal all prepared and cooked by June in between rushing from one function to the next.
All in all she has undertaken 342 Civic engagements over the past 12 months, and raised in excess of £15,000 with more money still to come in for her charities which are Gosport Carers’ Support Fund and Gosport & Fareham Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“I have had a wonderful year and feel truly privileged to have been chosen as the Mayor of Gosport,” said June. “I have met with some of the most incredible people, who have all been so warm and welcoming that it has made my job a real delight to do. There are also many great memories, perhaps the most emotional one being the Decommissioning of Haslar, an event that brought the town together for the sad farewell. But I think the events I have attended where the young people of Gosport have been involved have been marvellous, with everything from a recycled junk boat race for the playscheme children to young people representing the town at sporting events and at the Rock Challenge. They are a credit to their families, schools and the community and I wish them all well.”
June will hand over the robes and chain to Keith Gill on Wednesday 16 May at the Thorngate Halls Gosport.
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