OUTGOING mayor of Caerphilly county James Fussell hopes to reach his fundraising target of £15,000 for his year in office.

While St Martins councillor Mr Fussell has handed over the chains of office £3,000 short of the total, he has one more fundraiser planned.

He will host a charity auction next month, where he is confident he will surpass his target, with all monies raised going to Ty Hafan and the Golden Grove Mansion Appeal.

Among the recent contributors to his appeal was Aerfon, daughter of former leader Cllr Lindsay Whittle. Instead of gifts at her recent wedding to Nick Mills, she asked that donations be made to three charities – Ty Hafan, Help for Heroes and the British Heart Foundation.

Following the wedding, Cllr Whittle presented Cllr Fussell with a £425 cheque for Ty Hafan.

Crumlin councillor Vera Jenkins has now taken on the role of mayor until the local authority’s annual meeting in May 2012. She announced that her chosen charity will be Llamau, a charity for the homeless.