Election of Barnsley Mayor and Mayoress

COUNCILLOR Ken Sanderson will be formally elected Mayor for the borough for 2008/9 at the Annual Council Meeting at Barnsley Town Hall on Friday, 20 May at 6pm. Reporters and photographers are invited to attend.

The retiring Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Len Picken and Janet Henson, will be thanked for their service and presented with replicas of their medallions attached to their respective chains of office for 2007/8.

Cllr Sanderson was educated at Brampton Ellis School. On leaving school he worked in the Barnsley Co-operative sports department. He then worked for many years at Beatson Clarkes glass works at Stairfoot where he became deputy foreman sorter. After leaving in 1977 he started work at Highgate/Oglethorpe colliery in the safety department. Over the next 18 years he worked at various other pits until being made redundant in 1995. He is still an active member of the NUM.

For many years Cllr Sanderson has been general secretary of Dearne Community and Miners Welfare Scheme, this includes the recently refurbished £1,000,000 Dearne Playhouse.

He is a school governor at Dearne Carrfield Primary and Junior school and  has, for a long time, worked part time as a qualified youth worker at the Dearne youth club. He has also managed junior football teams and was chairman of an excellent Goldthorpe colliery side in the County Seniors league.

Cllr Sanderson is married to Beryl and is proud of their very close family of three daughters, two sons and 15 grandchildren.

He first watched Barnsley FC in 1952 and have been a supporter ever since. He is also a very keen gardener.

Born and bred in Goldthorpe, Mrs Beryl Sanderson was educated at what is now known as the Dearne High School. She left aged 15 to train with Fields and Massey as a hairdresser. She has always been involved with community work in the Dearne area. When her children were young she became involved with Heather Garth School, which they attended, and also served as a governor.

During the miner’s strike she volunteered to help raise funds to send local children on holiday. As a senior youth leader she helped establish such groups as the “Tarton Ears Cheerleaders” and a local majorette troupe. Mrs Sanderson is very involved with the Dearne Playhouse, the local community theatre, were she works as a volunteer.

The Mayor will be supporting the Teenage Cancer Unit at Weston Park, attended by patients from the Barnsley area, and Barnsley Riding for the Disabled.

The Mayor and Mayoress elect will be Cllr John Parkinson and Mrs Linda Parkinson.

ENDS

Issued by press office, 01226 773375, email: pressoffice@barnsley.gov.uk