Ribble Valley Mayoral role for Longridge businessesman-come-councillor Stuart Carefoot

The former Longridge building contractor behind the refurbishment of Blackpool's Madame Tussauds is the new mayor of the Ribble Valley.
Ribble Valley Mayor and Mayoress Stuart Carefoot and Sarah Rainford.Ribble Valley Mayor and Mayoress Stuart Carefoot and Sarah Rainford.
Ribble Valley Mayor and Mayoress Stuart Carefoot and Sarah Rainford.

Borough Coun and Longridge resident Stuart Carefoot is taking on the role vacated by Coun Richard Bennett after spending the past 12 months as deputy mayor.

Stuart, who has two grown-up children in Jodie and Owen as well as two grandchildren, said he was looking forward to providing a happy friendly face for Ribble Valley during his mayoralty and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

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51-year-old Coun Carefoot, a former Longridge High School and Thornley Primary School student, said: “I’m very proud to be the borough’s new Mayor and will do my best for the people of the Ribble Valley.

“I think we need to remember those who sacrificed themselves.

“The plans to turn Longridge Recreation Ground into a dedicated war memorial is just part of that.”

Mayor Carefoot recently met with Coun Leader Kind Hind and War Memorial Trust personnel about making the recreation ground a designated war memorial area to honour Longridge’s fallen men and women.

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During his mayoral year, he will raise money for the Rosemere Cancer Foundation and the Ribble Valley Dementia Alliance, which provides support for local people living with dementia and their carers.

Both causes are close to the Mayor’s heart, with Rosemere providing care for his late wife Monica before she passed away two years ago. He also lost his father from the affects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mayor Carefoot added: “My wife is one of the reasons I am doing this; I want to make her proud.”

Stuart’s mayoress will be friend and former fellow Longridge Town Coun Sarah Rainford, who as Longridge mayor in 2015 made a notable contribution to the Aviva Tour of Britain when it passed through the borough.

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Stuart joined family haulage and building firm Carefoots as a foreman on small works before working his way up the company and eventually retiring as contracts manager and director to take on the deputy mayoral role in 2017.

During his career, he worked on many multi-million pound projects, including the refurbishment of Madame Tussauds in Blackpool, the building of the Bolton Road Methodist Church in Bury and several schools and hospitals.

His interests include potholing, scuba diving, motorcycling, quad biking, sailing and camping.