Largs Community Council have elected a new chairman following months without an official leader.

Anne Carson will take up the helm following Douglas Blair's resignation in August, making it the first all-female Executive Committee.

Fellow Community Councillor Patricia Perman will replace Anne as the Treasurer and along with Secretary, Valerie Lundie will form the committee.

Anne has already served as the secretary for two years and believes her experience and love of Largs is a winning combination for the job.

She said: “This will be a big challenge going forward as this role has a lot of commitments and a very busy agenda.

“I am proud to be from Largs and will always act in the best interests of the town and its people.

“A women led committee is great progress, one hundred years ago women didn’t even have a vote let alone be considered as a member of LCC.

“It is worth mentioning, Community Councillors are volunteers and not paid for time spent on this work.

“I believe this actually makes us more committed to doing the right thing for our community and hopefully, make a difference.

“Community Councils are the first layer of democracy and I believe they play an essential role in any community.

“In good faith, I will strive to make the correct decisions for Largs Community.”

Having volunteered as secretary since 2016, Anne has helped to push forward many of the community council’s decisions.

Along with contributing to the decisions made at the meeting Anne set up the community council website and social media platforms to create a greater form of interaction with the community.

She added: “I was nervous and not very sure what Community Councils and volunteer Councillors did when I first started, but I thought I'd give it a go and see if I could be useful.

“I soon learned how useful Community Councils are as a link between Largs and North Ayrshire Council.

“I then took up the position of Treasurer and have done this for over 2 years.

“I have had the pleasure of distributing over £4,000 of Micro Grants to local Community Groups which I believe is very worthwhile and great value to the community.

“I have and will continue to encourage the involvement of young pupils from Largs Academy as they can contribute to their future and make their views known about what affects young people in the town.”

Anne has lived in the town for 40 years and believes she is well versed in the important issues of the residents.

She added: “I was brought up in Largs and attended Largs Academy.

“I left Largs in 1980 and have lived abroad in South Africa, New York and England and also worked at the Open University in Milton Keynes for 9 years before returning to Largs in 2001.

“I have always kept in touch with Largs through visiting my family on a regular basis and reading the 'wee paper'.

“Therefore, I feel that in addition to broadening my horizons and experience away from Largs, this complements my experience and knowledge of living in Largs and helps me to deal with the local issues.”

Anne added: “We have vacancies on the Council at the moment and I would like to encourage local residents to come to our next meeting on 20th December 2018 and give your support to the community.”