HIGH Wycombe mayor Mahboob Hussain was due to be weighed out last night in the traditional ceremony to end his year in office.

And while new mayor Nigel Vickery was to be weighed in, councillor Hussain looked back at a year in which he says he achieved everything he wanted.

He said: "I have had a wonderful time and travelled all over the world. I really enjoyed it. It was great and I feel privileged to have been High Wycombe Mayor."

Top of his list of achievements was hitting the £50,000 target he set at the beginning of the year to buy heart equipment for Wycombe Hospital.

He said: "I especially feel proud because I have reached my target and the whole year has been great all round."

His first civic visit to High Wycombe's Mosque, in Jubilee Street, in June last year in itself raised more than £5,000 for the appeal. During the year he has launched a calendar showing High Wycombe past and present in aid of the Mayor's Appeal, attended a large number of events and presided at the annual Mayor's Ball.

He said one moment truly stands out from the rest.

"My best and favourite moment as mayor has to be when I went back to my village in Kashmir. That was a great moment I couldn't believe the respect and the response I got."

He welcomed the new mayor Cllr Vickery into office and said: "I think it is good to be mayor of a town that is packed with diversity. It's a privilege to serve the people of High Wycombe. I know he will respond to the position and be a good mayor and I wish him all the best and success."

Clr Vickery (Lab, Booker and Castlefield) said his appeal will support young people.

He said: "It's going to be Children Into Sports to help children of all abilities to get into sport. If it's a disabled child it will be able to help fund a special piece of equipment or if it's an able-bodied child, we could help financially if their parents had financial difficulties."

Cllr Vickery wants to reach all the community during his year and to "spread the word how great High Wycombe is.

"I also want to make local government relevant to people. Councillors are not martians most of us have full-time jobs and families like everyone else."