THE new Mayor of Woking will be raising money for two local charities that support people in distress during her year in office.

Beryl Hunwicks was elected unanimously as the borough’s 46th first citizen at the council’s mayor-making meeting last Thursday evening.

She announced that her charities are Your Sanctuary and the Women’s Support Centre, both based in Woking.

YourSanctuary supports people affected by domestic abuse in North West Surrey and runs two safe houses for women and their children.

The Women’s Support Centre helps women to avoid becoming involved with the criminal justice system and supports whose who have been released from prison.

“These are charities that I believe work in synergy with each other,” said Cllr Hunwicks, a retired teacher who has been a Conservative councillor for Horsell for the last 12 years.

“Both are mainly services for women, although YourSanctuary is not exclusively so, which help women through crisis situations which gives hope to whole families in distress.”

Cllr Hunwicks, who has taken over the role from Liberal Democrat Cllr Will Forster, added: “Our voluntary sector is nowadays needed more than ever. They truly are the unsung heroes of Woking and I am excited about getting a closer look at the work undertaken by these groups.

For the full story get the 23 May edition of the News & Mail