THREE-time Mayor of Haslemere Melanie Odell hosted a civic celebration last Friday as her mayoral year draws to an end.

As guests arrived for a three-course dinner and entertainment at the town’s Georgian Hotel they were announced by town crier Christian Ashdown, who also proclaimed a toast to the Queen.

Those invited were the ‘great and good’ of the community, including representatives of voluntary organisations and charities. The mayor said the evening was really to “celebrate the town’s many volunteers”.

The dinner also coincided with the mayor’s birthday and her consort and fellow town councillor David Round led the diners in a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ before presenting her with a cake.

After dinner speeches were given by a long-time friend Paul Gardiner and by the mayor herself.

She used her speech to thank fellow town councillors for their support and to present flowers to town hall staff, describing them as the “lynchpin of the organisation”.

She also thanked deputy mayor Sahran Abeysundara, who also provided all the table decorations.

Mrs Odell paid tribute to her family and her husband for their continuing support, saying their wedding date had been set “before all this mayoral stuff” – and adding she would try to be a “better wife.”

Deftly executed card tricks were performed by 15-year-old Woolmer Hill school pupils Harry Fitzgerald and Samual Harris as they mingled among the crowd before dinner, and the after dinner disco was provided by Keith Connors and Matt Reynold.