Last week saw the appointment of Macclesfield's new mayor and deputy mayor during a virtual meeting of the town council.

Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake succeeded Cllr Janet Jackson MBE to become the 6th mayor of the town council which was established in 2015, with Cllr David Edwardes chosen as her deputy.

Asked what she hopes to achieve during her year as mayor, Cllr Bennett-Wake told Nub News: "I really hope to bring some more kindness and unity to Macclesfield. What we've seen with Covid-19 is that it has brought out the best in the majority of people."

Cllr Bennett-Wake said she wants to build on the "Dunkirk spirit" that has carried communities through the last few months.

"The town council has funded quite a few groups in their response to Covid-19, including the Green in the Corner where my wife set up the food delivery service. We've had volunteers from People Helping People and everyone's just mucked in. It has been a fantastic response," Cllr Bennett-Wake said.

The mayor praised the way communities have been able to safely come together during the lockdown, including the VE Day commemorations and the virtual Barnaby Festival.

She added: "Although there has been a lot of loss, both personally for those who have lost loved ones, and those who have lost their jobs or businesses, those negatives need to be turned into a positive. We'll remember those we've lost but it also allows us to rethink how we do things."

Cllr Bennett-Wake, a Liverpool native, and her wife Stella Wake-Bennett have lived in Macclesfield for 12 years. They were attracted to the town because of it's "friendly people" and the rolling hills that surround it.

Cllr Bennett-Wake said she became involved in politics after becoming "fed up" at being made redundant.

She said: "I had only been here two years and I had been made redundant. I managed to find another job and was made redundant again. I joined the Labour Party and started off handing a few leaflets out and then started finding my voice a bit more.

"It was Christmas a few years ago and there were homeless people out on the streets during the lights switch-on. I was so cross I wrote to the local paper and then some of my friends in the Labour Party said I should run for the town council. I finally did it and after a year I'm the mayor."

The mayor added: "It was never something that I had planned. I don't think I've ever really planned my life; it's just taken this path and I've taken the different opportunities that have arose and I feel passionate about."

She describes feeling "very proud" that a girl from the Bluebell estate in Huyton could grow up to become mayor of Macclesfield.

Cllr Bennett-Wake works at Puss Bank School as a teaching assistant and she said the pupils are excited for her to take up the position and she hopes she can act as a role model for the children.

Cllr Bennett-Wake is also the first mayor of Macclesfield from the LGBTQ community. She said: "I don't really want to make a big point of it, but it definitely is a positive development."

She jokingly added: "I might find some rainbow ribbons to tie to the chains."

The elevation to the position has been "bittersweet" for Cllr Bennett-Wake, as her father passed away at the beginning of the lockdown due to a longstanding illness.

Despite not being here to see her become mayor, Cllr Bennett-Wake's father left a useful tool in executing her chairing duties.

"When I was made deputy mayor, Janet Jackson was on holiday, so I had to chair the full council meeting. I went around to see my mum and dad at the weekend and I told them; my dad said 'I know what I can make you' and off he goes to his shed. An hour later he comes out with a gavel," she said.

The new mayor had a busy start with ribbon cuttings at a newly opened barbershop on Mill Lane and at the reopening of Cinemac as lockdown eases.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the official mayor making ceremony will not take place until next month.