At Tenby's Mayor-making ceremony on Friday, Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane was officially sworn in as the town's 624th Mayor, making it six times for the councillor to don the scarlet robes of office in her time as a member of the town council.

In formally proposing her at the ceremony held in the Mayor's Parlour, Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas said that there was only one person who could follow outgoing Mayor, Clr. Trevor Hallett's "exemplary two years of service", and that was Clr. Mrs. Lane.

As chairman of the Tenby in Bloom committee, she was also the ideal person to fill the role in the year that the town had been chosen to take part in an international floral competition organised by a Canadian 'Communities in Bloom' group.

"It's important that the whole town gets behind this project and I'm sure our new Mayor can use flower power to bring the sweet smell of success to Tenby," said Clr. Mrs. Thomas.

In seconding the proposal, Clr. Mrs. Tish Rossiter said that Clr. Mrs. Lane's passion for the town and her drive and commitment made her the right choice to lead the town council.

After being elected, Clr. Mrs. Lane proposed that Clr. Paul Rapi, who was unable to attend the ceremony, be accepted as her Deputy Mayor.

With both the new Mayor and her Deputy being former pupils of the town's St Teresa's Convent School, making the pair the first Catholics to fill the Mayoral roles in the same term, Clr. Mrs. Lane said that Clr. Rapi was "Tenby through and through" and an excellent team member who had brought a lot of humour to the town council table.

Head of performing arts at Greenhill School, Clr. Rapi, who has sat on the town council for nine years, has taught music for almost 25 years, as well as running several ensembles, from concert and symphony orchestras to jazz and rock groups.

Clr. Mrs. Trisha Putwain seconded the proposal, saying that Clr. Rapi's empathy with his pupils enabled him to see things from the point of the view of the youngsters of the town.

Re-appointed as Sergeant at Arms was John Morgan, with Robin Scanlon as Sergeant at Mace, while Father Owen McGreal was appointed as the Mayor's chaplain during her year in office.

Installed as the Mayor's consort was Clr. Mrs. Lane's grandson, Lewis Waters, who, according to his grandmother, had been rehearsing for this role all his life, while Mrs. Sarah Rapi was appointed as Deputy Mayoress.

Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown proposed a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor, thanking "our Trev" for his leadership, with Clr. Lawrence Blackhall also adding his thanks to a "fantastic ambassador" for Tenby.

Clr. Hallett thanked his fellow councillors and his family for their support, and wished the new Mayor an enjoyable year and hoped that her "ship may sail smoothly" in her latest term in office.

The ceremony was followed by a civic reception in the main hall, where the Mayor was joined by her party and guests.

Sergeant at Arms John Morgan proposed the toast to the Mayor and the town of Tenby, pointing towards Clr. Mrs. Lane's "outstanding record" which had outstripped many past illustrious Mayors of the town.

Clr. Mrs. Lane said she hoped to bring further floral success to the resort this year, with Tenby as the only town in Wales to enter the international 'Communities in Bloom' competition, and believed that the community spirit would help achieve this.

"Don't be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try," she remarked.

Clr. Lawrence Blackhall toasted the guests, and the Mayor's consort, Lewis Waters, completed the evening's speeches by responding on behalf of the guests.

Young band Tuxedo Funktion then got everyone on the dance floor with their mix of popular and classic songs, performed with a jazzy twist.