Councillor Anne Rickard was elected Mayor of Bridport in May 2024 for the mayoral year 2024-2025.
Mayor’s Biography
My very modest and simple beginnings in life never put such a position as Mayor in my thoughts, let alone my expectations. Born in south east England, I didn’t ever imagine I’d be here and in this amazing role! How did this actually happen to me?
A change of circumstances offered a change of lifestyle and brought us to Dorset, where we risked getting off the treadmill and living ‘the good life’ on a very small scale, but enjoyed rearing orphan lambs, a couple of pigs, keeping hens and growing our own veg and fruit, and a great experience for our (then) young son and my older two, who were living away from us (on and off). We survived – including playing music in various lineups, which has always played a large part in our lives and continues to do so.
After 17 years there, Bridport ‘called’ us, so we upped sticks and came here, to be part of this amazing community with all its diversity and friendliness. It felt like coming home. It is a town in which we can each be ourselves without embarrassment or question, full of life and energy, and residents with a real love of our town.
My husband, Dave, became a Town Councillor and then Mayor, so I got a handle on being Mayoress and an introduction to this council, which I cemented at a by-election a few years later, and then elected as Mayor for the first time. In that year I was thrilled to bring together our Rights Respecting status, instigated by the young students at Colfox School with support and help from BTC and of course our wise and thoughtful community.
We still feel fortunate to have found Bridport when we did, and so often people ask, “Why is Bridport the way it is?” My response is always the same, “Because the right people come, stay, and are part of the success of it”.
We have the most amazing set of staff at Bridport Town Council as well – they all love the town – each and every one contributing largely to its success and without whom we’d never achieve all that we do. I have heard from our current Town Clerk that it is not a ‘job’ – it’s a ‘calling’. Says it all.
I have much to be grateful for and I am immensely proud to have been elected again to this position on Bridport Town Council.
What I might hope to achieve during this Mayoral year
During this Mayoral year I intend to re-visit our Rights Respecting Status. We have a Rights Respecting Charter, we have a book, signed by residents and visitors who appreciate our aims and intentions. Rights Respecting runs through everything this Town Council does. It is written into our modus operandi to be considered at every turn.
This town already has a reputation for being inclusive and welcoming to all. I want to try to enhance this in every area possible.
It will be an easier task and become a way of life, the more people take it on.
I would also like to see other towns picking up the baton and declaring themselves to be Rights Respecting towns. We are still the only one, as far as I know.
My two chosen charities for this year will be Bridport Youth and Community Centre and Bridport Read-Easy, both of which, in my view, embrace Rights Respecting in great measure.