LEICESTER’S new Lord Mayor has been handed the chains of office at a ceremony in the city’s Town Hall.
Cllr Teresa Aldred, who has represented Thurncourt ward since the 2015 local elections, was sworn in as the city’s first citizen at a meeting of the full council yesterday (Thursday).
At the ceremony, the new Lord Mayor announced she would be supporting two important health charities in her mayoral year: the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust and ANDYSMANCLUB.
Cllr Aldred will be supported in her year in office by the Lady Mayoress, her daughter Libby Aldred, together with her good friend Maggie Corley and the former boxer Rendall Munroe, who will serve as her consorts.
“I am very excited and maybe just a little nervous about being the Lord Mayor of Leicester but I promise to serve the people with my whole heart," said Cllr Aldred.
“I am proud to be the Lord Mayor of this beautiful city - so rich in diversity and culture, and a place I have always called home.
“During my year in office, I hope to highlight some of the many brilliant things that happen in the city but often go unnoticed.
“I will also be passionate about supporting the work of the two charities I have chosen: the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, which strives to reduce the impact and incidence of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, increase the number of public access defibrillators in communities, and train more people in the skills needed to save a life in an emergency - and the suicide prevention charity, ANDYSMANCLUB.
“In my year in office, I hope to raise awareness of the vital work that both charities do.”
Born and raised in Thurnby Lodge – where she still lives today - Cllr Aldred attended Willowbrook and St Joseph’s primary schools, before moving on to St Paul's RC School and Hamilton Community College.
She began work in a care home for the elderly, while attending Charles Frears College of Nursing and Midwifery, and she also trained as a teaching assistant.
While raising her family, she started taking an active role in the local community, holding events at the Thurncourt Community Centre and assisting with sessions for elderly people.
Cllr Aldred is married with four children and is passionate about horses, having had her own horse from a young age. Although she still keeps and cares for horses, it’s her children who continue to live her dream and she very much encourages them to be involved and enjoy the outdoors.
The family also enjoy travelling across England in their motorhome.
Cllr Aldred becomes the latest incumbent of an office that dates back to at least 1209. Formerly the ‘Mayor of Leicester’, the title was upgraded to ‘Lord Mayor’ in 1928.
The outgoing Lord Mayor, Cllr Bhupen Dave, will serve as Deputy Lord Mayor in 2025-26, with Cllr Manjula Sood remaining as High Bailiff.
More information about the office of the Lord Mayor is available at leicester.gov.uk