Outgoing Sheffield lord mayor says his year in office was the most memorable of his life

Colin Ross, who has now also retired from Sheffield City Council after 30 years as a LibDem councillor for Dore and Totley, ended his year as the 126th lord mayor of Sheffield at the council’s annual meeting on Wednesday (May 15).

Mr Ross and his Lady Mayoress, wife Sue, who are both retired teachers, undertook more than 700 events during their year in office.

He said: “This is a speech I didn’t want to have to give because it rather marks the end of what has been the most memorable year in our lives.

“There’s never going to be a year in your life when you’re as universally popular as you are when you’re lord mayor. You walk in anywhere – well, the chains do help, obviously – and people want to welcome you as lord mayor and are genuinely pleased to see you.”

He said that anyone who questions the role should shadow the lord mayor for a day to see how much Sheffielders from all walks of life appreciate it.

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During his year in office, Mr Ross held regular events to celebrate the work of up-and-coming city entrepreneurs and also renewed the city’s town twinning links with the German city of Bochum, which date back to 1950.

His main lord mayor’s charity was St Luke’s Hospice and Mr Ross said that he and his wife had been thrilled to be able to raise the money for a ‘cuddle bed’. This is an extended hospital bed that enables relatives to join a dying person to give them a final embrace as they say goodbye.

Thanks to the outgoing lord mayor and lady mayoress were formally proposed by Couns Martin Smith, David Barker and Angela Argenzio.

Mr Ross is succeeded by new lord mayor Coun Jayne Dunn, who presented him with a lord mayor’s badge. The new deputy lord mayor is Coun Safiya Saeed – she will take over the role after Coun Dunn’s year in office.