SITTING in the grand surrounds of the mayor’s parlour, it’s hard not to feel a little envious. As someone who spends far too much time in the less-than-beautiful, 1960s-chic Worcester News offices each day, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the tremendous sense of history and past glories that fill the mayor’s own offices in Worcester’s Guildhall.

Her desk is vast and ancient oak, the walls ornate wooden panelling, the room glittering with chandeliers, civic treasures and gifts from foreign dignitaries.

Sitting opposite, the 386th mayor of Worcester, Councillor Lucy Hodgson, is making the most of it while she can.

“I spend far too much time in here,” she admits. “I love the feel of it – the warmth of the room, the history of the place.”

Coun Hodgson will step down from her role on Tuesday at the end of her year in office, her trademark smile having been a familiar sight to Worcester News readers over the past 12 months.

“People do always say they’ve seen my picture in the paper,” she said. “Though I don’t think I’ve beaten Derek Prodger!

“But there was a wonderful letter in your paper the other day saying how much I like to smile. If I’ve cheered people up that’s got to be a good thing.”

Coun Hodgson, aged 47, had represented Warndon villages on the city council for six years before being made mayor last May.

The former Alice Ottley School pupil gave up her job as a catering supplier at the University of Worcester to take on the role.

She said: “This has been a fulltime job for me. You do need some stamina. The most I’ve done is about five mayoral visits in a day, and it can be early in the morning until late at night, weekends...”

Having attended some 250 functions in Worcester and hosted delegates from across the globe, including visitors from Japan and Brazil – not to mention Prince Charles – Coun Hodgson has certainly been kept busy.

The gala opening of the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester last year is a particularly fond memory, plus graduation ceremonies at the university, her former workplace.

But her kindest words are saved for the city’s hidden army of volunteer workers who she has met throughout the year.

She said: “I’ve discovered a side of Worcester I never knew existed. So many people work so hard here for no money. I don’t know what we’d do without them – it makes you very humble to meet these people.”

Coun Hodgson has done her fair share of charity work this year, of course, raising money for St Paul’s Hostel and the Worcestershire Breast Unit Campaign. Her efforts even extended to serving up supper at the homeless hostel one night.

“They couldn’t believe the mayor was serving their supper,” she said.

Less fond memories will be of how her time in office coincided with a disastrous cash crisis at the city council, ending in a series of savage cuts, which meant Coun Hodgson will be the last mayor to have a mayor’s officer or a civic car.

She said: “It was a difficult decision to lose the car. But in these times of real financial strain, the mayor couldn’t be seen to be carrying on just the same. The mayor had to accept some of the loss. It’s something that has happened in other councils. I was very, very sad the day we lost Steve Baker, my mayor’s officer.

“It has been a time of transition in some ways and I have to say next year’s mayoralty will be different.

But what the public actually sees shouldn’t be so different.”

Coun Hodgson is in no doubt, however, that the historic office of mayor must be retained.

“It’s vital to have a mayor as the civic head of the city,” she said.

“Sitting in this room, you can see there’s so much history behind the mayoralty. We have records showing the role of the mayoralty going back to 1621, and before that the High Bailiffs go back to 1221. We are the custodians of that tradition.”

So how will it feel on Tuesday when she hands over the chain to incoming mayor-elect, Councillor Andy Roberts, and reverts to being a normal member of the public?

She said: “It will be strange. I’m going to have to keep myself busy.

It will be very strange knowing somebody else is doing the job.

“It’s been a very special year in my life – an experience of a lifetime.

I’m going to miss it so much.”