Mayor of Garstang(Town Mayor) is elected annually from amongst the councillors at the Annual Town Council meeting in May (also called the Mayor Making). The Mayor serves as both Chairman of the Town Council and the ceremonial figurehead for Garstang.
It is a great honour to be elected and represent Garstang as Mayor for the year 2025-2026. It is hard to believe this will be my third time, and just over 9 years since I joined the Town Council. I couldn’t be prouder of our beautiful town and Garstang’s community spirit.
On behalf of Garstang Town Council, I would like to thank Cllr Mike Halford & Robyn Halford for their hard work and dedication they have shown to our town during their tenure. I think you will agree, they have been excellent ambassadors for the town. Congratulations to you both and I hope you enjoy a well deserved rest.
As your mayor, I will do everything I can to help and support the town thrive whilst protecting our heritage. I will strive to live up to the expectations of those who have faith in me and I promise to work hard for Garstang. I appreciate all the dedicated volunteers and organisations in our town. I have absolutely loved living and raising my family in Garstang, it really is the most delightful place to live and should never be taken for granted. In the coming year, I want to continue on what is described as ‘Team Garstang’ where as a council we serve the community and work with each other and share our volunteer resources wherever possible.
I am proud of our Town Councillors, rest assured, our staff and councillors work hard for you and to support you. Relatively speaking, we have very little power to make change in comparision to Lancashire County Council and Wyre Council, but we are the eyes and ears of our wonderful town and I truly believe we are committed to what we believe is right for Garstang, it’s residents and businesses. Many of our Town Councillors are also involved with other organisations such as Garstang in Bloom, Garstang Community Sports Club, Memory Café, Town Trust, Millennium Green, Garstang Arts Centre, GGPB, Garstang Children’s Festival, Garstang Scarecrow Festival and much more! I would like to extend a special welcome to our new Town Councillors who only joined last week, Cllr Helen Hesketh and Cllr Jennifer Lee-Bromley
Choosing my mayoral charities has been a very difficult decision as there are so any worthy causes and I’ve supported so many in the past. I have chosen two charities, my first charity is CRY The Matthew Hesdmondalgh Fund. Money raised for CRY will directly benefit our youngsters aged 14 to 35 by paying for screening appointments at Garstang Academy to identify any potential problems. The aim is to prevent young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening and research and supporting affected families. The next available dates are 28th and 29th June.
My second charity is St John’s Hospice in Lancaster. St John’s Nursing Team believe that on the journey towards end of life, people should receive the right care in the right place at the right time. This includes caring for Garstang’s patients and families in the hospice and in patients’ homes. In 2024 patients and their families from Garstang experienced over 1700 acts of care, compassion and support from St John’s Hospice. This care is given freely but it is not without cost. It costs them £6.9 million to run all of the St John’s Hospice services each year yet they only receive around 25% of the funding from the NHS. The remaining 75% comes from fundraising activities and donations.
I do hope you will support my fundraising activities in the coming year, I am sure there will be something for everyone with lots of FUN to be had! The first event will be a Bingo Night held at the newly refurbished Wheatsheaf on Thursday 3rd July, closely followed by a Preloved (think of the website Vinted) ladies fashion show at Wyrebank in Garstang on Saturday 25th July. If you have any clothes you would like to donate or you fancy modelling please do not hesitate to contact me. I’m sure there will be other events such as a cake stall and gin tasting events, always involving local businesses if wherever possible. I would also like to host a garden party at home! Keep an eye on our facebook page and the Green Book for more information.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next 12 months. If you see me out and about around Garstang please come and say hello and have chat. If you have any issues or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or another member of the council. If we can help, we will and if not we will provide direction as to where to obtain help and support. You are very welcome to attend our council meetings which are held on the 3rd Monday in the month at the library or one of our council surgeries.
I am looking forward to the year ahead and I promise to you all, I will do my very best as Mayor of Garstang.
Cllr Elizabeth Webster
Mayor of Garstang
2025-2026
Photo credit - Michael Coleran
