The mayor of Penryn, Mark Snowdon, stepped down last night and handed over the title to his successor in a ceremony at the town's Temperance Hall.

Shelley Peters was unanimously voted in during the traditional mayor making meeting, which was attended by representatives of local businesses and organisations, as well as the mayors of nearby towns.

She was clearly shaken when she took to the stage, but said that she was looking forward to the coming year including the library reopening, the mock mayor event in October and switching on the Christmas lights in December.

Cultural events were something that she was also looking forward to, and said she would support the upcoming Giving Glasney event, the Sports Night and the Pirate Queen event.

She said: "I'm very much looking forward to the next year, I'm really proud to hold this position.

"I would like to thank everyone who has supported me over the years."

During proceedings Charles Wenmoth was announced as the new deputy town mayor.

He said: "I'd like to thank the members of the council for bestowing this onto me.

"It's said that Rome wasn't built in a day, although if councillor Snowdon was around it probably would have been."

During the ceremony, Mr Snowdon reflected on his two years as Penryn mayor, saying that it had been a fantastic experience,

and one that he would never forget.

He stated that over the two years, he had attended 338 functions as the mayor, including several times when he got on stage to sing.

He said: "They call me the singing mayor, I've sang for charity and I've presided over a whole school assembly.

"Two years has gone by like that, but what can I say about being mayor.

"It only dawned on me this morning what we have achieved in the last 12 months.

"We did all the usual things, and I've done some really random things that I've loved.

"We had a royal visitor, the Duke of Gloucester, and it was great to show him our town.

"Being mayor has been a pleasure for me personally, it’s had a profound impact on my life.

"It has been fantastic, but I'm looking forward to spending time with my family again now."