ENNISKILLEN woman, Trish Fivey, is stepping down from her role as Mayor of Sutton.
Fivey, 61, is a former St Fanchea’s College pupil who also represented Northern Ireland at netball in her teenage years.
She moved to London where she worked in the insurance sector for 30 years before being elected as a Liberal Democrat Councillor in borough of Sutton in 2014.
Fivey was appointed Mayor three years ago and is now relinquishing her role.
“It has been an honour and privilege to represent and celebrate the people of Sutton for the past three years,” she said.
“Our borough has some of the best community organisations, volunteers, young people and local businesses in London all working to make Sutton a great place to live and we should be proud of this.
“I’m delighted to have raised so much for my local charities who support some of the most vulnerable people in Sutton and I’m proud that I have been able to connect so many local community organisations together to help them to better serve their communities.”
Cllr Fivey’s time as Mayor has seen her complete more than 1000 Mayoral visits to schools, care homes, youth groups, businesses and religious groups across Sutton and has raised in the region of £65,000 for charities across the Borough during her three years in office.
Leader of Sutton Council, Cllr Ruth Dombey paid tribute to her saying: “Cllr Fivey is the true embodiment of what it means to serve as first citizen of a borough. She has completed more visits, presented more awards and attended more local concerts and performances than any Mayor I’ve known.
“I would like to personally thank Cllr Fivey for all her hard work, she has been a constant in what has been a difficult three years for many across Sutton and throughout this time she has been there celebrating, thanking and congratulating the wonderful people and work of our borough.”
Cllr Richard Clifton added: “She was such a success – so energetic, so popular, someone who brought real fizz and energy to any event she went to – that the invitations and the demands on the Mayor kept increasing, as people wanted to see her again and again.
“She has taken whatever workload has been thrown at her in her stride. And her sparkling and warm personality has been the key to her popularity and her success.
“What I have really admired in the past year, though, is her remarkable good judgement in the handling of these Council meetings.
“We have seen interruptions and behaviour at recent meetings that were not problems, on the same scale, that her predecessors, in my 13 years as a Councillor, have had to deal with, and all of us would have struggled with.
“Trish has shown great ability, great common sense and impeccable judgement in the way she has handled these problems.”
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere