COUNCILLORS, special guests and local community groups gathered to celebrate the achievements of local residents and confirm the current mayor and deputy mayor for a second term of office at a ceremony held in St John’s Hall, Penzance.

The Brian Spiegelhalter Citizen of the Year Awards was started in 2004 by the family of the late Brian Spiegelhalter, a previous mayor of Penzance, to celebrate the work of local people and their important contributions to the parish community.

Following public nominations, the winner of this year’s award was announced by the mayor of Penzance, Cllr Stephen Reynolds, and presented with an engraved pewter plate. The winner was Constance Morris for her dedication to marine conservation work in Mounts Bay and her inspiring educational workshops as part of Grampus Campus CIC.

This year marks the first appointment of the mayor’s ‘Young Artist of the Year’. The Penzance mayor has traditionally appointed sea, air and police cadets every year, reflecting the importance of these services to the lives of the communities.

But art and culture also play a huge role in local life, and so this year the mayor wanted to formally recognise this by appointing a young artist. The winner of this was Zac Henshall from Penwith College.

Zac will receive a bursary of £500 and have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and flair to the community of Penzance by creating a piece of visual art inspired by the civic year and what the parish means to them, with their final work being exhibited at the Penlee House Gallery and Museum in 2025.

The Sir Humphry Davy Prize was awarded to Jacob Allen from Mounts Bay Academy for outstanding academic achievement in chemistry and physics.

The ‘Mayor’s Sea Cadet’ for 2024/25 was also announced. Able sea cadet Autumn Rhodes-McClean received her official badge of office to wear on her uniform when attending civic functions in the coming year.

The retiring cadets were also awarded certificates for their service — sea cadet first class Sonny Marsden, air cadet Corporal Harry Jenkins, and police cadet Edward Willetts.

But last, and by no means least, councillors Stephen Reynolds and Will Elliott were both re-elected as mayor and deputy mayor respectively, with Cllrs Bonnie Jackson and Penny Young serving as civic deputies. Philip Northcott was again named as the town crier.

The ceremonial ‘swearing in’ of the mace bearers also took place with Simon Reed and Andrew Chellew solemnly taking the oath. Talan Richards was also sworn in to serve as deputy sergeant at mace. The ceremony was followed by a buffet reception at The Exchange Gallery for all the award winners and special guests.