New Mayor is Warrington “born and bred”

WARRINGTON born and bred Cllr Maureen Creaghan has become the 137th Mayor of Warrington after officially being sworn in at the Annual Council meeting last night, Monday.

It is unusual for the Mayor making – which usually happens at the annual meeting of the council in May – to take place in November. However, the coronavirus restrictions meant that outgoing Mayor, Cllr Wendy Johnson’s term of office was extended.
Cllr Creaghan – who becomes the 12th woman to be Mayor of the borough – is Warrington born and bred. Married to her late husband Bernard for 45 years, she has two daughters and four grandchildren.
She has spent the last two decades championing the needs of communities, becoming a councillor in 2001 – first as ward member for Latchford and, for the past seven years, as ward member for Poulton South.
As Warrington’s Older People’s Champion, Cllr Creaghan works with other towns’ champions in the North West, sharing good practice for supporting older people.
Cllr Creaghan, who is a former youth worker, has been a school governor for 20 years, specialising in safeguarding and children with special needs.
The new Mayor said: “It is a great honour to become Mayor of the town I love. The difficult times we are facing mean strong community spirit is more important than ever, and I want to do my best to support this.
“I am passionate about helping local communities – and I hope, during my term of office, I can make a difference to local people – particularly our most vulnerable residents – through my Mayoral duties and, of course, through my charity appeal.
“I would like to give a big thank you to the outgoing Mayor, Cllr Wendy Johnson, for continuing as First Citizen of Warrington for this extended period. She has done a fantastic job during these most challenging of times.”
Cllr Creaghan’s brother, John, will be her Consort and will support her throughout her mayoral year. The new Deputy Mayor is Cllr Jean Flaherty.
The Mayor has chosen four charities to support through the Mayor’s Appeal throughout the year:
•Forget Me Not Unit at Warrington Hospital – caring for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
•JUMP – providing photograph and film memories for children with terminal and life-limiting illness in North West England and Wales.
•Lifetime – providing support and services for elderly residents.
•PAPYRUS – a charity supporting the prevention of young suicide.