A former Mayor of Exmouth is resigning as a councillor after two decades of service.

Pat Graham is standing down from Exmouth Town Council, where she has been a councillor since 1997, and East Devon District Council, where she has been a member for around 10 years.

Pat, who said she had enjoyed ‘20 brilliant years’ as a councillor, said: “I will be sorry to leave. It has been a big part of my life but I can’t do it any more.

“I’ve been suffering from Parkinson’s for some years now, and it’s just got too difficult to do, so it’s time to say farewell I suppose, but I will still be very interested in what’s going on.

“I couldn’t have done it without my husband Keith. He was so supportive and would take me anywhere.

With the two of us working together it was good.”

Pat, who stood as a Liberal Democrat, added that she thought it was ‘a pity’ that the town council had become party political, saying: “I think we’d perhaps all have done things differently, but if we hadn’t had the party system snapping at our heels all the way along the line, working together would have been easier.”

Away from council work, Pat is known as the long time chairman and current president of Exmouth in Bloom, and received an MBE for her work with the group in 2015.

She said winning national recognition for Exmouth in Bloom was among her proudest achievements.

At this week’s town council meeting, deputy mayor Councillor Jeff Trail said Pat’s service would be ‘sorely missed’.

He told councillors: “Pat has always put the community of Exmouth first. She is a courteous, reliable and well-respected member of Exmouth Town Council.”

Councillor Steve Gazzard, leader of the town council Lib Dems, said: “She has been a pillar of the community, and she has always shown the virtue of what a councillor is, to represent people whether they voted for you or not.

“I personally will miss Pat for all the experience that she has passed on to me, and wish her and Keith all the very best.”

Councillor Maddy Chapman said: “Pat was always a voice of reason and common sense. A very nice person who always supported everyone.”