THE former Mayor of Worcester has spoken of his pride in serving the Faithful City - and paid tribute to his “fantastic” wife for making it all happen.

Councillor Roger Berry handed over the gold chains last week after 12 long, hard months as the city’s First Citizen.

During his year £28,000 was raised for St Paul’s Hostel and Maggs Day Centre, and he completed over 500 engagements.

But he said the unsung hero was his wife Jill, a retired teacher at Northwick Manor Primary School, who acted as his right-hand helper and mayoress for “99 per cent” of his tasks.

“It was a very pressurised job and it really was a joint effort with my wife, so I need to pay tribute to what she did,” he said.

“When I was thinking of becoming the mayor we knew it’s a role where you’ve got to put your life on hold, and it’s fair to say she expressed her doubts, but she was always there for me and I couldn’t have done it without her.

“We’d have groups come along and tour the Guildhall and often I’d be talking to one group, and she would take the second lot around to show them the place - she was fantastic, and particularly good with children.”

During his time as mayor he was lucky enough to host the Queen’s visit last year, when she came to open The Hive.

He even sat next to her during lunch at the Guildhall, and said Her Majesty was remarkably easy to talk to.

“It was me on one side and Cecil Duckworth on the other, with the Queen in the middle,” he said.

“She was very knowledgeable about Worcester and the Guildhall, and it was a delight to have had her in Worcester.”

He also said one of the best aspects of being mayor was meeting people from all walks of life.

“I remember the Jubilee celebrations and I came across a little girl who asked if I was the king,” he said.

“A little boy then looked at me and Jill and said ‘no, they are the King and Queen of Tolladine’, it was so funny,” he said.

“You would go from one extreme to the next, meeting people from all kinds of backgrounds, and the memories will always stay with me.

"I have been in Worcester a long time but there places I had never been to before, and little gems I never knew existed.

"You also realise what a small place it is - I bumped into people I hadn't seen for years, and even one guy I worked with 27 years ago."

The 67-year-old, a former social worker, could take an easier life and put his feet up, but he is having none of it.

Under the city’s new Labour-led administration, he is now cabinet member for safer and stronger communities.

"It will be nice to get back to the hurly burly of things now," he said.

Coun Berry used to leader of the city council from 1992 to 1995 and has been in local government for over 30 years.

He was due to be Mayor of Worcester in 1995, but lost the Nunnery seat in that year's local elections, after spending 12 months as deputy Mayor.

"It was painful at the time, but I've been in politics long enough to know there are always highs and lows," he said.