THE new Mayor of Denbigh says it is a 'real honour' to represent the town he has had 'such a strong connection to' since his childhood.

In what was a first for Denbigh Town Council, this year’s ceremony to appoint the new town mayor took place remotely at the Dr Evan Pierce Memorial Garden on Vale Street.

This was ahead of the annual meeting held on Friday, May 7 and the recording was shown via Zoom.

As a result of the ceremony, Cllr Rhys Thomas will represent the Town Council as mayor for the mayoral year 2021 – 2022.

He replaces Cllr Gaynor Wood-Tickle.

Cllr Thomas was first elected to represent Denbigh Town Council four years ago and is also a county councillor. In both roles, he has represented the Lower Denbigh constituency.

Having previously worked as a science teacher across Wales, he later worked in the environmental sector including in Denbighshire.

He was also a community councillor before, and chair of that council, for 10 years whilst living in Gwynedd.

Ahead of taking over as mayor, Cllr Thomas was quick to point out that the biggest task that lies ahead is to lend a helping hand to those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last year.

He said: "The task ahead of us all this year ahead is to restore the local economy and, as a council, to aim to support our local organisations and initiatives as they try to return to a sense of normality and adapt following the Covid-19 pandemic."

Cllr Thomas, who also runs a food bank in Denbigh, added: "It is a real honour for me to be able to represent the area which I have had such strong connections to since my childhood.

"It's a huge honour now to be able to represent the people of Denbigh as town Mayor. Thank you to the other councillor for showing faith in me."