NEW Loughton mayor Janet Woods has stated her main aims for her term of office, and paid tribute to her predecessor Mike Wardle.

Mrs Woods, who was deputy mayor last year, said she had several ambitions for her time in office, including helping launch the new community centre in Borders Lane.

She said: "One of my main aims is to encourage people to make use of the community centre, which will be up and running this year. I want to ensure it becomes a centre of the local community."

Mrs Woods also hopes the next 12 months will see the ownership of the Roding Valley Recreation Ground transferred to the town council from Epping Forest District Council.

"It's been eight years in the making, so hopefully this will be our year."

Mrs Woods added: "I hope to meet a lot of people and get the work and achievements of Loughton Town Council better known and to continue its work.

"I'm very much looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and I'm going to enjoy meeting people I would never have had the chance to meet other than as mayor."

Commenting on the work of her predecessor Mr Wardle, whose work as mayor was limited by ill-health, Mrs Woods said: "Mike was a very good mayor and it was sad he couldn't do as much as he would have wanted because he has worked so hard for Loughton for a long time, and that was going to be his year."

The new deputy mayor is Suzanne Harper.