Former Star and EADT writer Lynne Mortimer is to become new mayor of Ipswich later this month - just a year after being elected to the borough council.

Ms Mortimer first wrote for the Star in the 1980s - and retired in 2019 after writing thousands of features about the town she loves.

She has continued to write on a freelance basis - and has also been a regular contributor to BBC Suffolk talking about television.

Many of her features contained a quirky look at her own life!

She said: "I love my home town and, when I was writing a weekly column 'Just A’Ipswich Girl' for the Ipswich Star, I never stopped saying so.

"After retiring from journalism in 2019, running for council seemed me like the next natural step and in 2022, I was elected to represent Gainsborough Ward in the town.

"Quite soon after that, I was asked if I would consider putting my name forward to be the next mayor. So I did and now, amazingly, I am.

"It will be an enormous honour to represent the town I have lived in all my life. I believe Ipswich is a town with a great future and I will take every opportunity to say so.

"I am very proud to have been elected to be the next Mayor and, over my year of office, I look forward to meeting some of the people that help to make Ipswich a fine place to live."

Her consort will be her husband James Hayward, a retired solicitor who is well-known in local amateur dramatic circles as an actor, writer and director.

Ms Mortimer's arrival as mayor won't be the only change at the borough's annual meeting on May 17. It will also elect a new leader after David Ellesmere announced last year that he would not be seeking another term.

The Labour group is expected to choose a new leader before the meeting which will confirm that person as council leader.