Cllr Caroline Kolek was recently appointed Honiton’s first citizen.

Honiton’s new mayor has laid down her objectives to pursue in Honiton during her term.

Councillor Caroline Kolek addressed an audience in The Beehive’s auditorium last Monday, where an official mayor making ceremony was held.

She said: “I look forward to working with the new council over the next four years and certainly this year as mayor and chair of the council.”

Cllr Kolek says she wants to work with Honiton Town Council and help the group move on.

She also tabled her targets while she is in office – one of which is to make Honiton become a ‘dementia friendly’ town, an aim which is being championed by the town’s dementia awareness group.

Cllr Kolek added that young people are ‘her life’, and that she is looking forward to working with members of Honiton Youth Club to provide for the young people in town.

She also revealed on the night that Honiton Hospital Friends will be her chosen charity for the year.

The organisation is currently looking to raise £4,000 to build a relatives’ room.

She added: “It is something that is very particular to Honiton and I think is something that is really important.

“If we have a resident in the town who is in hospital for a significant period of time and they have been visiting relatives and visiting friends, there is nowhere for them to stay.”

Cllr Kolek identified open spaces in Honiton as an issue to work on, a subject which she classed as ‘really important’ for the town.

Cllr Halse also addressed the audience before handing over his chain of office to Cllr Kolek, and highlighted the journey of the town’s community centre.

He said: “I am very proud of this place [The Beehive]. As I cease to be mayor for now, I will always look back on it as a time when we managed to do what we thought was impossible 35 years ago.”

Cllr Halse said he was ‘very glad’ to be able to hand over to a new mayor and deputy mayor and council so they can ‘go forward together’.