Mayor Making in Portsmouth - sure there's some good ideas there for a DI Horton crime novel

Yesterday I was invited to the Mayor Making Ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall (UK) to see the new Lord Mayor, Cheryl Buggy, enthroned!  Cheryl is the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Eastney and Craneswater in Portsmouth. I'd no idea what to expect and it was a pleasant surprise to find the ceremony thoroughly enjoyable (and very full of pomp!)

It kicked off with an opera singer, Jennifer Parker-Lummis, singing from the steps of Portsmouth Guildhall and what a stunning voice she had too.



The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines (Portsmouth) were playing to the audience inside the Guildhall. They are always a delight to hear. And  it was wonderful to hear the Portsmouth Music Service Sing Out Pompey choir ( children of about ten years old) sing three especially composed songs. Civic awards were presented to people who had done a lot of good work for the community and there was a great deal of  ceremonial business in installing the new Lord Mayor.



I have known Cheryl Buggy for many years, not in any political sense but as a professional broadcast journalist she has interviewed me countless times.  She runs a highly successful radio station in Portsmouth, called Express FM and I have appeared on several programmes on Express FM.

Cheryl was also involved in the very successful CSI Portsmouth event last year where crime fiction met crime fact and she will again be moderating our panel event this year at CSI Portsmouth on Saturday 5 November .


Cheryl Buggy announcing the panel in CSI Portsmouth 2010

Being a crime writer my mind is always ticking over with possible new ideas and characters for a DI Andy Horton crime novel or indeed a thriller, so if you read one my crime novels and find there is a mayor making ceremony in it you'll know where the idea came from.

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