Cllr Nick O’Hare, who represents Blendon and Penhill Ward, became the London Borough of Bexley’s 58th mayor yesterday.

This is the second time that Cllr O’Hare has been elected Mayor of the Borough.

He first served in the role back in 2008 to 2009 after being the Deputy Mayor the previous year.

The new Mayoress has been announced as his first daughter, Natalie Ford.

The Mayor appointed Cllr Rags Sandhu, who represents Bexleyheath Ward, as Deputy Mayor and his wife, Mrs Bal Sandhu, as Deputy Mayoress.

The Reverend Thomas Koutrouki has been assigned as his Chaplain and is the priest at the Christ The Saviour Greek Orthodox Church in Wickham Lane, Welling.

Cllr O’ Hare and his wife have worshipped at the same church for 37 years.

The Mayor said: “Being Deputy Mayor and Mayor from 2007 to 2009 taught me much that will stand me in good stead for the coming year.

“I am also delighted that my daughter, Natalie, will be by my side as Mayoress for the coming year, although my wife Maria will be very much behind us, guiding and supporting, as she always does.”

“The Mayoress and I will work hard this year to raise further still the profile of our Borough and also to raise funds for our chosen charities.

“I was taught from an early age to fight and work hard for whatever I wanted and believed in and wanted to achieve.

“I feel lucky to have had the benefit of four wonderful parents who rather than spoil me, taught me values that I hold dear to my heart."

Cllr O’Hare was born on April 8, 1958 to Greek parents and later moved to England.

He said: “We were a poor family, and it was a big decision for my mother and I, when my Greek aunt Lily - who had moved to England when she married an English engineer, Michael O’Hare - offered to look after and raise me in this country.

“I was only 13 years old when my mother and I arrived in St Albans, Hertfordshire and I did not speak a word of English.”

After a few months, Cllr O’ Hare’s mother returned home to Greece.

He added: “It was a lonely time, but England was everything I imagined it would be. Beautiful countryside and wonderful people, but I missed home.” It was not long before he was legally adopted by Michael and Lily and the family decided to move to Wimbledon where he became a hairdresser and opened his first Salon in Worcester Park in April 1981.

Him and his wife Maria, who was Greek Cypriot, were married in July 1981 in the Greek Church in Camberwell.

In 1985 they decided to sell their first business and bought a shop and hairdressing business in Wickham Lane, Welling.

Cllr O’Hare also achieved a teaching degree age of fifty.

He joined the Young Conservatives and campaigned for the appointment of Margret Thatcher as Leader of the Conservatives and subsequently for her election as Prime Minister.

In 1997, he felt disillusioned with the direction that the Conservative Party seemed to be heading, so he joined the Liberal Democrats.

He served for seven years as a Liberal Democrat Councillor in Bexley but decided to re-join the Conservatives in 2006.

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