I EXPRESS my sincere thanks to all the organisations and individuals who have made my year of office as Mayor of the Ribble Valley so memorable.

We have been welcomed wherever we have been and it has been a privilege to meet so many people and hear how the many and very different local communities function at a local level.

Although Ribble Valley is the largest district in

Lancashire, in area terms, I found a real sense of community starting to develop. Nowhere was that more in evidence than when we were fighting for survival in the local government review.

That threat has passed for the moment, but the community spirit is still there, and that is what I feel will be important in the years ahead.

Thank you for making my year of office so special for both me and my husband, Raymond.

COUN EILEEN LOWE, Sabden.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.