what it’s like to be Mayor - from Katrina Trott
President Pat Hanns, right, with Councillor Katrina Trott, last year’s mayor of Fareham.
Although it had been hard work, her term of office was a “wonderful, wonderful” year, said last year’s Mayor of Fareham, Councillor Katrina Trott.
She had enjoyed it so much she would do it again if asked. “But not too soon,” she told members at the club’s February speaker meeting. “It’s a lot of work and I now have a great deal of sympathy for the Queen.”
Councillor Trott was elected to Fareham borough council in 2002 and said she had been “honoured to be asked to be mayor as she was not a member of the leading political party” on the authority. She likened the role of the mayor of the borough as being similar to that of the Queen. She was the people’s representative, it was her duty to meet and greet and there was very little power attached to the job.
She had been fortunate to be mayor during a particularly interesting year from May 2007 to May 2008 and she had attended 687 functions. Among the highlights was a visit to Buckingham Palace and the service in Fareham to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War when she was host to Lady Thatcher.
Councillor Trott’s talk was illustrated with photographs of many of the events she attended such as the 100th anniversary of scouting when she took part in the sea scouts’ 100 boat parade down the River Hamble.
She also attended the launch of the Hampshire Air Ambulance in July 2007 and the launch of the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service’s new craft “when I was able to drive a launch at 20 knots across the Solent.”
During her year she encouraged children to visit the mayor’s parlour and allowed them to try on the mayoral robes. She showed pictures of beaming youngsters that revealed how popular this was.
She was also instrumental in setting up the Fareham volunteering awards scheme whereby volunteers from around the borough were given certificates and badges in recognition of their contribution to the community.