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 has handed over the gold chains after 12 long, hard months as the city’s First Citizen. During his year in office, £28,000 was raised for St Paul’s Hostel and Maggs Day Centre and he completed more than 500 engagements.

But Coun Berry 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 that 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 Coun Berry hosted the Queen’s visit when she came to Worcester to open the Hive.

He even sat next to her during lunch at the Guild-hall 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.”

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.