An evening of high ceremony and tradition marked the election of Councillor Colin Dawe as Wandsworth's new mayor on Wednesday.

The annual meeting of the council to elect the borough's first citizen for the coming year was also a welcome break from politics and a celebration of Wandsworth's charities, voluntary organisations and youth groups.

Coun Dawe, renowned in the town hall as a keen, trilby-wearing cyclist, told his fellow councillors and 150 invited guests that becoming mayor was "both a privilege and a responsibility".

He announced his nominated charities as the Trinity Hospice in Clapham North Side and the Ursula James Respite Room charity based at St George's Hospital. He named his deputy mayor as Coun David Nurse and chaplain as Revd Peter Morris from All Saints' Church in Tooting.

Coun Dawe has lived in Wandsworth since 1960, after a stint in the RAF, and reading theology at King's College, and taught religious education and English in secondary schools across south London before a late conversion to lecturing in business studies to his retirement in 1998.

He is now a school governor at Ernest Bevin, Fircroft primary and Barrow Hill.

A prominent member for the local Conservative party, he first stood for the council in 1971, but failed to be elected until he became Bedford ward councillor in 1990, before moving to Furzedown ward last year.

The evening also marked Coun Leslie McDonnell's highly successful year as mayor, in which he fulfilled 450 engagements from jubilee street parties to marking Wandsworth's war dead in Belgium and Italy, and raised £8,000 for his charities Putney St John Ambulance, Metropolitan City Police Orphans Fund and Wandsworth Group of Rotary Clubs.

Despite being wracked with laryngitis Coun McDonnell said he had had a "marvellous year" and said his highlights ranged from "falling in love" with the Countess of Wessex to the Christmas party at Greenmead school for children with profound special needs.

He added: "I became aware of the enormous reservoir of goodness in the borough.

"At times I've been close to tears."

May 30, 2003 10:30