161661/1NEWLY elected mayor Jacky Martin has vowed to improve the lives of young people living in Malmesbury by securing a skate park for the town.

The mayor, who speaks French, Spanish and German, wants more outdoor facilities at the Worthies sports ground her official charity for the year and extra play equipment for St Aldhelm's Mead in Malmesbury.

She said: "This year I will concentrate on the youth. I want to work with people and make things achievable. We will have a skate park and we also need to build more links with Malmesbury School."

Coun Martin was officially elected as leader of the town council last Thursday, taking over from the previous mayor Coun Patrick Goldstone.

The event began ceremoniously with town crier Rose Darlington leading in the town's councillors.

In traditional blue robes, the councillors were accompanied by town clerk Phil Rice.

After being invested with her chain of office, Coun Martin made a fresh appeal for the council to work positively together.

She said: "This year councillors will have work delegated to them. Let's work smartly to make it an action-packed year."

The new mayor will combine mayoral duties with her job as manager of the Cancer Research UK shop in the town's High Street.

Having previously worked as an estate agent valuer, Coun Martin told the Gazette that her negotiating skills would be useful in getting a good deal for townspeople.

"I have been described as a breath of fresh air. I am a good listener, I don't like to have enemies and my negotiating skills will be useful. I am used to meeting a lot of people and getting to know them."

She added that building bridges between the town's decision-makers and local people was high on her agenda.

She is planning to deliver a town council newsletter to people living in Malmesbury to tell them what the council was doing.

She also plans to throw a party for all the councillors as a team-building exercise.

She said: "I will get them all to my house and try to get them to know each other and see each other in a different light."

Coun Martin, and her husband Shaun, who have three children, live in Arches Lane, Malmesbury.

Their son Alan, 25, works as a programmer, their elder daughter Liz, 22, is a TV producer and younger daughter Maria, 15, attends Malmesbury School and likes ninjitsu and fencing.

The former bilingual secretary comes from Watford but has lived in the Malmesbury area since 1979.

She enjoys watching films, reading and gardening and said that her heroes were TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh, Hollywood heartthrob and actor Brad Pitt and singer Bon Jovi.

Coun John Poole, who was elected deputy mayor, described the mayor and himself as a dream team.

He said: "We could be marked as a dream team. I can assure you we will do our best. I take my position very seriously and will do my best for the town."

Being the mayor of Malmesbury has been a tough task in recent years.

Coun Charles Vernon was kicked out of a shop in the town because of controversy over the return of the market.

And shortly before becoming mayor last year, Coun Goldstone was barred from the Three Cups pub in The Triangle after taking a stand against a British National Party meeting being held on the premises.