THE new mayor for Bromyard will continue helping the most vulnerable in the town throughout the pandemic after being voted in by councillors.

Having spent the last 12 months as deputy mayor, Suzette Brunsdon said she was honoured to take over the livery collar from Councillor Roger Page.

Councillor Brunsdon, who used to run the town's post office and is now heavily involved with the local food bank, said her plans for the immediate future are to support the community.

In Bromyard and Winslow Town Council's annual meeting on Monday, she was elected as the new mayor.

"I'm very excited and very honoured to be doing this for Bromyard," she said.

"It's such a wonderful town to live and it's going to be lovely to serve the community.

"I ran the post office from 2009 to 2015. I've got to know a lot of people during this pandemic as well."

Since becoming more involved with the food bank at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the team has organised 190 grocery deliveries, delivered more than 200 prescriptions and sent out 78 food parcels.

Anyone who needs assistance in Hereford should call Herefordshire Council’s Talk Community Covid-19 response team on 01432 260027 who then get in touch with local groups.

"The people of Bromyard have been so brilliant because everyone has rallied around and helped their neighbours," coun Brunsdon said.

"People go out and clap for the NHS and they've just been wonderful.

She added: "For me, I see my main role for the time being as helping individuals, which is what I'm doing at the minute, and helping businesses to get through the pandemic and then afterwards back on their feet again.

"It's been great to be helping people and what I've been doing has been so rewarding to feel like you're making a difference.

"I'm just concentrating on the pandemic and seeing what I can do to make a difference. It's going to be a difficult year for people to get through and get back on their feet afterwards."