The new Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent has been officially appointed - and she has pledged support for dementia awareness.

Councillor Joan Bell has officially been appointed as the new Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent after being selected as the city's latest Lord Mayor during the annual council meeting on Thursday 21 May.

She was first elected to the city council almost 40 years ago and has represented several wards across the city - currently serving as ward councillor for Sandford Hill.

The new Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Cllr Joan Bell, said: "As Lord Mayor and First Citizen of this wonderful city, I feel deeply privileged to have been given the opportunity to serve the city I love.

"During my year of office, I have chosen Dementia, Stoke-on-Trent – raising money for dementia causes across the city - as the Lord Mayor's Charity.

"So many people and their families living in our city are affected by this cruel condition. We need to create places in every ward in our city where these people can be helped and supported."

Before becoming a councillor, the new Lord Mayor worked in schools supporting early years children and people with special educational needs.

She later joined Stoke on Trent College as an outreach development officer, helping establish courses and activities within local communities, particularly for groups that were often harder to reach and served for several years as a Non-Executive Director of the Stoke South Primary Care Trust.

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During her year in office Cllr Bell will focus on raising awareness of dementia and supporting those affected by the condition across Stoke-on-Trent.

Instead of focusing on a small number of individual charities, she aims to raise awareness of dementia and support several related charities through a citywide campaign.