Mayor of Rugby attends Civic Sunday service at St Andrew's Church

Civic Sunday traditionally welcomes Rugby's new Mayor to the role and recognises the part councillors and council officers play in the life of the borough.

The Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Sally Bragg, joined Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby, Freemen of the Borough, former Mayors and councillors in a procession from the Town Hall to St Andrew's Church for the civic service, which was led by the Rector of Rugby, the Reverend Imogen Nay.

The theme of Civic Sunday - 'dedication to our roles in life' - was chosen by Cllr Bragg.

The service included a reading of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 by the Mayor's Cadet, Flight Sergeant Matyas Golarits of the 29F (Rugby) Squadron of the Air Cadets, to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death.

Cllr Bragg also read the poem Prayer, by Poet Laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy, to celebrate the year of Her Majesty The Queen's 90th birthday.

In addition to traditional hymns, the service featured songs sung by Flo Bannigan and Emily Goodwin, who have been helped by Rugby Area Talent Trust, one of Cllr Bragg's charities for her Mayoral year. The Rugby Male Voice Choir also sang You Raise Me Up.

Cllr Bragg said: "It's a great honour to be Rugby's first citizen and I was delighted to see such a full congregation for the civic service.

"It was also a wonderful opportunity for the students from Rugby Area Talent Trust to perform and be accompanied by the Steinway piano, not to mention the empowering voices of the Rugby Male Voice Choir, of which I'm proud to be president, and the church choir with their uplifting renditions of the hymns and the National Anthem."

Photo caption: The Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Sally Bragg, at the Civic Sunday service at St Andrew's Church.