THE newly-elected Mayor of Penzance says that he is ready to embrace the ‘strong communities’ of the whole parish, with ‘absolutely nothing less than 100 per cent commitment to this task’.

Councillor Andy Law was unanimously voted in as the new Mayor of Penzance at the 46th Annual Mayor Choosing Ceremony of Penzance Council held at the Ritz Penzance on Monday, May 18.

Andy Law, who lives in Newlyn and was elected as a councillor for the Penzance East ward in 2024, follows in the footsteps of one of Penzance’s longest serving mayors, Stephen Reynolds, who stood down after three years in office.

Recently retiring from his full-time career, Andy specialised in working with people experiencing mental ill-health and trauma, as well as working with male perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Outside of his work, Andy also became a familiar face on the Cornish folk music scene, playing with the Golowan Band, the Penzance Guizers and in his own bands - playing traditional Cornish tunes.

Along with friends, he recorded a charity CD of folk tunes, raising over £15,000 for the Aurora Foundation for People Abused in Childhood. Through his music, he has also raised money for refugees, West Cornwall Children’s Hospice and the RNLI.

Mayor Law said:“I love living in this place. Despite what many people might think, there is great diversity here - diversity of thought, opinion, experience - and yet it feels inclusive and welcoming.

“Newlyn, Mousehole, Paul, Heamoor, Gulval, combine with Penzance to form an exciting, varied Parish, and my focus as Mayor will be first and foremost to focus on the whole Parish, not just Penzance.

“I want to celebrate the differences to be found in Newlyn, Mousehole, Paul, Heamoor, Gulval and Penzance. But whilst recognising and welcoming those differences, I want to embrace them as part of the whole, to ensure that positive developments and innovations in one part of the Parish can be rolled out across the whole Parish.

“As Mayor, I will be laser-focused on community. I believe passionately, that developing positive, cohesive and supportive local communities is the heartbeat of the Parish. If we have strong communities, we can ensure that compassion, kindness and respect are at the heart of our daily lives and where conflict and disagreement arise, we can reach out across the divide and find what we have in common, rather than what divides us.”

Cllr Penny Osborne was unanimously appointed as deputy mayor while councillors Phillip Jameson and Bonnie Jackson were voted in as this year’s civic deputies.

It was also officially announced with “great sadness,” that Phil Northcott was stepping down as town crier. He was thanked for his years of service to much applause.

Cllr Law added: “It is an extraordinary honour to serve the people of this parish and I will give absolutely nothing less than 100 per cent commitment and dedication to this task 24/7, to repay the trust and faith that has been invested in me.