Martin Hickman has been selected as the new Mayor of Abergavenny for the year 2014/15, for his second time in the role.

Martin, who is a strong presence in the local community, not just through his role in the town council but also as a county councillor and presenter on Nevill Hall Sound, was selected by the other town councillors in a meeting last week to fill the vacancy that will be left by the current Mayor, Councillor Sheila Woodhouse.

The ceremony to induct Martin will take place in May, and he has expressed his excitement at taking on the role for the second time, as he was previously Mayor in 2007/08, and his hope is that he can do even better than last time.

Martin said, "It's a great honour to be chosen for the role, as it's not something many get to do, and the chance to do it twice is even better."

But Martin has some big shoes to fill from the last time he was in the position, as during that time he broke the record for fundraising with a stream of successful events, with the aid of his wife and consort Alison.

"We did so much last time, like auctions raising £4,000, hot air balloon rides, Christmas card competitions with Deri View School, stalls in the market, and more," said Martin.

"Hopefully this time I can take from some of those ideas, as well as adding a few new ones."

Martin has said how he has some tricks up his sleeve for some exciting and different fundraising activities, in the hope of raising as much money as possible for the town charity, which is yet to be decided.

His wife Alison has also hinted at the possibility that she may try a parachute jump, despite her extreme fear of heights.

Alison said, "Last year, someone made Martin a bet that they would do a parachute jump if he ever got to be mayor again, and we've already made some calls in the hope of setting that up and since, it will be for a good cause, I thought I might just have to join him."

Time will tell what ideas will come out when Martin takes on his role, and he will announce his charities in due course, but hopefully his prior experience can make this the best year yet.

Martin said, "I had only been living in the town three or four years before I was Mayor here, so it was a huge adjustment getting to know people, and learning about all of the fantastic work so many organisations do in this town.

"This time we know more people to help up with fundraising, we can host some exciting new events, and get to know even more people. We are extremely excited to start."