New mayor says ‘I will fly the flag for Driffield’

Looking forward to a busy year ahead as Driffield’s new mayor, Cllr Mark Blakeston said his focus will be showcasing the best of Driffield and supporting local organisations and businesses.

Among the highlights of the year ahead will be the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Wold Rangers Way walking festival and a series of charitable sponsored walks organised by the new mayor.

Cllr Blakeston was elected as mayor at last week’s annual general meeting of Driffield Town Council.
He told the Wolds Weekly that he was delighted to be elected to the role for the second time in his 12 years as a Driffield town councillor.

He said: “I feel very fortunate to be mayor this year with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and I am looking forward to being involved with all of the activities that Driffield Town Council is organising to mark this special milestone celebration.

“I am also delighted to be mayor during the inaugural Wolds Rangers Way walking festival, which promises to be a brilliant week with 350 free tickets for guided walks over the week.

“I would like to use this year to support as many local clubs, organisations and businesses as possible and I would like to build on the work done by Driffield Town Council and the Town Centre Steering Group to make the town and the high street as vibrant as it possibly can be in what continues to be difficult times for many.

“I will fly the flag for Driffield by supporting other civic events, but my main focus will be showcasing the best of Driffield and trying to support local as much as possible.”

He added that Driffield Town Council has made great progress over recent years and he hopes to continue to build on that.

“I really believe that as a council we have found our feet in delivering what people want and expect, balanced with what we are able to do as a town council,” he continued.

“I believe what we do well is adding the feel-good factor with activities and events, such as the umbrella plaza, bunting and organising the Jubilee events.

“As a small market town, I believe we are doing well.

“We do not have many vacant shops and no more following COVID, which is a real success.

“As chairman of Driffield Town Council, I hope to build on that and if I can support any local organisations, I will do all I can and would be happy to hear from them.”

A focal point of his year as mayor will be supporting his chosen charities of the year – the Yorkshire Wolds Railway and the Driffield Navigation Trust.

He plans to organise a series of sponsored walks throughout the year to help raise awareness and money for the two local charities.

Cllr Blakeston will also continue his support for Brain Tumour Research in memory of his dad and his uncle who both passed away after suffering from a brain tumour.

He said: “There are so many charities and good causes locally and, as a trustee of Wold Rangers Way, Driffield Men in Sheds and Humberside Scouts, I felt these organisations will continue to receive my time and support anyway.

“Yorkshire Wolds Railway and Driffield Navigation Trust are both organisations that through the difficult times of COVID have kept busy and have raised money and developed what they are doing.

“They have now come out of the other side stronger and in a better position than before.

“Both charities are rekindling what made Great Driffield great in terms of railways and the canal and both are keeping alive that local history story and bring a lot of value to the area.

“As someone who enjoys walking, I am planning to do regular sponsored walks on the Wold Rangers Way to raise awareness of the charities and raise some money for them.

“I hope it will be something that people will enjoy taking part in and I am hoping we can do a guided walk on the old track bed at Yorkshire Wolds Railway, with a talk on the Malton Dodger and something similar for the Navigation.

“I will also be doing a couple of major walks for Brain Tumour Research.”

During last week’s meeting, Cllr Gillian Helliwell was also elected as deputy mayor for 2022-23.

Town clerk Claire Binnington said: “We thank Cllr Matt Rogers for an excellent year of decisive and strong leadership in what has been a very exciting time for our council as we emerged from the pandemic.

“We have achieved many objectives, enlarged our staff and widened our services under Matt’s direction and we thank him for all his hard work.

“We are delighted to welcome Cllr Mark Blakeston as the new mayor for the forthcoming civic year.

“This will be Mark’s second time as mayor of Driffield and both myself and our new civic secretary, Jill Baldwin, who is also our town centre officer, look forward to working with him in the year ahead.

“Mark displays great commitment and dedication to his role as councillor and we have no doubt he will have a fantastic year and represent Driffield admirably throughout the region.”