Oswestry's next mayor plans to champion volunteering when she takes office
The mayor elect of Oswestry says she is going to champion volunteering during her year in office.
Oswestry Town Council has appointed Councillor Olly Rose as mayor elect for the 2023/24 civic year.
Councillor Rose was elected in 2017 and has lived in Shropshire for more than 30 years.
She said she grew to know Oswestry through work and chose it as her home.
A teacher in both the UK and overseas, she worked with young families to develop adult literacy alongside their children. She later worked with young adults helping to improve self-esteem and ran workshops on issues such as drug use, contraception and health related problems.
Councillor Rose also worked with the charity Age UK for 20 years, involved in projects to help older people remain in their own homes and some localised research work. Oswestry formed part of her patch throughout this time.
She said: "I am delighted that from May I will enter my mayoral year. During the year, it will be the 350th anniversary of Oswestry being granted its charter, when the first Oswestry mayor was established. During this period, there has been a great number of mayors from different backgrounds, with different interests.
"The council would like to thank its outgoing mayor, Councillor Jay Moore, who has brought a fresh style to the role and has been incredibly active throughout the year.”
She said she will champion volunteering during her year as Mayor.
“I have always been involved in volunteer work and been active in Oswestry in Bloom and help to run our Oswestry Ukrainian Support Hub.”
“Through my previous work and as a councillor, I have come across many volunteer groups running vitally important services. Sometimes the volunteers and organisations are so busy working hard for their project, they do not have time to link up with complementary organisations.
"During my year as Mayor, I would encourage any volunteer group to contact me. I would like to improve networking in the town so that people can access the great schemes which are out there, and groups can work together to help each other and hopefully find some additional volunteers.
"Often when people are socially isolated, ill, or suffering with mental health issues, they find it even harder to find out what help is available in the community.”
The deputy mayor elect for 2023/24 will be Councillor Mike Isherwood.
