A NEW mayor of Kendal has been appointed at a town council meeting.

Cllr Julia Dunlop said her theme for her year in office would be 'caring Kendal'.

"There's two aspects of it," she said. 

"One is to support and promote voluntary organisations which focus on caring for one another. 

"The other aspect is other organisations which promote caring for the environment."

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Cllr Dunlop's 'chosen' charities are Wave Forward, which supports young people in south Cumbria with their mental health, and Waste into Wellbeing, which is based in Kendal and works to stop supermarket food going to waste by making meals sold on a pay-what-you-can basis or by redistributing it to people in need. 

Money will be raised from events throughout Cllr Dunlop's time as mayor and split between the two at the end of her term. She will also work to raise the profiles of her selected charities.

Cllr Dunlop was voted in by fellow councillors at a full town council meeting. 

Cllr Dunlop replaces Cllr Doug Rathbone, who had served as mayor since 2021. Cllr Dunlop was deputy mayor to Cllr Rathbone.

An official mayor making ceremony is to take place at Kendal Town Hall on May 18.