It's a daunting feeling being mayor of your home town, a feeling of both pride and fear in equal measure, but it's also one of the greatest privileges you can experience is sharing wonderful moments with wonderful people who give their time, their passion, and in some cases their tears for the betterment of our town.

It's not been plain sailing this year. As a community, we began with the fallout from the floods and were all heartbroken for the people who suffered not just the loss of the replaceable but the loss of the irreplaceable.

But there have been many more positives - too many to mention in fact.

Some for me include the new leisure centre which, despite some initial trepidation from some, has proved to be incredibly popular with so many people, young and old, using it, helping improve their health.

We have also enjoyed the emerging local talent that have entertained us under The Hub on Saturday afternoons, and, as a grandmother, I am incredibly grateful to Chris Bagshaw and all the staff and fellow councillors at Workington Town Council for putting on the fun days and, of course, the Christmas lights switch-on with help from our community of volunteers. It is these volunteers who continue to make our town such a vibrant and positive community.

Looking forward into 2017 there are even more positives to come including the 20th anniversary of our twinning relationship with Val du Reuil who, along with our other twin town of Selm, share our common goals and hopes for the future and continue to be great friends to the people of Workington.

Together, as residents, as friends, I am sure we will continue do our best to ensure 2017 is a year that next year's mayor will look back on with fondness and say (just as I say today and Old Blue Eyes sang all those years ago) "it was a very good year…".