IT was a family occasion when the new Mayor of Colchester was sworn in.

Councillors unanimously voted for long-serving Tory councillor Peter Crowe to take over the role from outgoing mayor Ray Gamble who said he had "thoroughly enjoyed" his year of office.

The Lib Dem said he had "eaten for England" during an action-packed 12 months, which has seen him abseiling and going up in a hot air balloon.

The packed Moot Hall yesterday included specially invited guests, including youngsters from Messing cum Inworth Primary School, where Mr Crowe is a governor, and Layer de la Haye School, which is in his Birch and Winstree ward.

Before the ceremony, Mr Crowe, who was proposed for the role by fellow ward councillor Kevin Bentley, said he was looking forward to being mayor and was delighted to have been given the honour.

"I am hoping it will be a brilliant year for our six charities. It is a great honour to be able to do this and I am really looking forward to it," he said.

Mayoress Margaret Fairley-Crowe understands life in public office as she herself is also a serving councillor, for the Tiptree ward.

She said it will be a busy year as the couple also run their own property investment business and have seven grandchildren.

"It is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Although I am a councillor this is very definitely Peter's year, I have only been doing it five years but Peter has been a councillor since 1992, you have to be a councillor for a long time to qualify for such an honour as this," she said.

Thanking Mr Gamble for his year of service, Mr Crowe announced the theme for his year as mayor would be employment and prosperity.

He revealed 99 per cent of fundraising events for the year were already in place in a bid to raise cash for the six chosen charities of Headway, Essex Air Ambulance, Young Carers, Grass Roots, Ring Fenced and Essex Wildlife Trust.

Two of the mayor and mayoresses first engagements will be the civic service at Messing Church on Sunday, May 25, at 11am, and the Mayoresses At Home in the Moot Hall on May 31.

Colchester's deputy mayor for the year will be Henry Spyvee, after he was unanimously voted in by fellow councillors.