RETIRED school headmaster Councillor David Cox will be hanging up his mayoral chains for good after a challenging and interesting year as the Town Mayor of High Wycombe. VICTORIA BIRCH reports.

Cllr David Cox, chairman of Wycombe District Council, is all set to take off his chains when he steps down as town mayor next month.

The retired school headmaster, who lives in Widmer End, High Wycombe, said he has had a fantastic year as one of the most important men on the council.

But Cllr Cox, who said the role completely took over his life, is looking forward to getting back to his normal duties.

He said: "I actually attended 151 functions in a year. It averages out at 12 a month.

"My wife says that I should take my bed down there as it would be simpler. I went to Hambledon with Princess Ann and had just no idea how long I would be. My wife has to make meals on the hoof from my miscalculating of meal times, and I sometimes change my shirt two to three times a day. The badge weighs a lot."

Cllr Cox entered politics after retiring as headteacher from Hazlemere Park School, in High Wycombe, in 1989. He joined the school, which was new at the time with only 80 or so pupils which increased to 550, in 1969.

He instantly took up a parish councillor position at Hazlemere Parish Council following a successful election, and has remained there for 12 years.

He said: "Being a parish councillor is not political. I was just concerned for the area. I took an interest in civic duties and wanted to make it a better place for people."

The 73-year-old was born in High Wycombe and educated at the Royal Grammar School, Amersham Hill, High Wycombe.

He met his wife Rosemary, 71, when she was working at King's Wood Infant school, High Wycombe, and they married in the parish church in High Wycombe in 1954.

He recalled one of his best times as mayor included being on the bus with Steve Redgrave. He has also been responsible for starting a smile campaign which he said has been quite successful.

He explained: "If I smile at you, you would smile back, it is infectious.

"People should be happy to say please and thank you. We would give out logos of smiling faces. We would stick them in shops and places of employment.

"We dished out about 30, which was not as many as I would have liked.

"But people did hold on to the fact that people should be polite to each other. It certainly worked to some extent."

But after such a hectic year will he be bored?

He said: "Well the first thing I will do is to spend more time on the parish council as the district council had to come first. My wife and I would also like a good holiday.

"Thirdly, my garden looks like a bomb site as I have never been there to do anything.

"And I certainly want to be less involved in answering phone calls and sending e-mails."