Andy Carter has been named as Cockermouth Rotary Club’s new president.

Andy Carter, 60, a retired police officer, has been in the club for five years and takes over today.

He is delighted to be leading the thriving team of more than 40 members and hopes that even more people will join during his year in office.

He also hopes to build stronger partnerships with other groups and businesses in the town.

Mr Carter said: “We want to get even more members as we are involved in so many events and projects.

“We do a lot of work behind the scenes.

“We also want to help get more people into the town.

“We welcome men and women of all ages and from all walks of life to join us.

“If you don’t want to be a full member but would like to help on occasions, there is a Friends of Rotary Scheme which means we can call for assistance both at times of crisis but also in helping us run our charitable events.”

During the December floods members were out on the streets helping people move property upstairs and assisting with evacuations.

“We worked as part of a wider group of organisations in the town, including Churches Together, the Round Table and WI, to assist local people at the critical time,” said Mr Carter, who is married to Diane and has two grown-up daughters.

“In the aftermath we worked to assist displaced families to return to normality.”

As well as running an annual Christmas party for older residents, the club also runs lots of events with schools and sports clubs.

The club was formed in 1938.

Mr Carter takes over from Jimmy Wood, who was thanked for all the progress made under his leadership, including several new members and many community events.