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Cllr Louise Morales has been elected Mayor of Woking at the official Mayor Making ceremony held yesterday evening (Monday 20 May) in the Council Chamber.
After a year as Woking’s Deputy Mayor, Louise is excited for the role, and “looking forward to celebrating cultural diversity and learning new things about the Woking community.”
Born in Bristol and moving to Woking in 1996, Louise has always been an avid gardener and botanist. She studied Botany at the University of Manchester and made her way to Woking via a job in a local plant nursery.
In her spare time, Louise is a private gardener and a qualified horticultural teacher. She is also an avid linguist speaking fluent Spanish thanks to her Columbian husband.
Passionate about the environment, Louise decided to get into local politics to protect her local village green and other local green spaces from overdevelopment, and was elected councillor for Old Woking in 2011. “I thought – if no one is going to stand up, then I will” she said.
During her mayoral year, Louise has chosen to support and raise funds for The Lighthouse, who run vibrant community hubs in Woking and Barnsbury and host a range of projects to support, encourage and empower anyone who finds themselves in need.
Speaking about her chosen charity, Louise said: “The Lighthouse does wonderful work in Woking’s communities, and I am keen to raise money for them to continue their hard work.”
“The Lighthouse hosts an incredibly varied range of projects all with a common theme – to see people transformed through kindness, belief, and hope. It really is an inspiring charity that has changed many lives which I want to see thrive. Their services are invaluable to our Woking residents.”
During her mayoral year, Louise will be supported by her husband, Fernando.
During the Mayor Making ceremony, Cllr Amanda Boote was appointed Deputy Mayor.
To read more about the various community projects supported by The Lighthouse, please visit www.lighthousewoking.org
To keep up to date with the Mayor’s activities, please visit www.woking.gov.uk/mayor or follow @wokingmayor on Facebook and Twitter.