I'm the borough's youngest and first openly gay mayor - and I want to send a message'

As South Ribble's youngest and first openly gay mayor, Paul Wharton-Hardman is keen to cast off the notion of “labels”.

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Instead, he just hopes the story of his ascent to become the borough's first citizen will send a simple message — anything is possible.

The 37-year-old councillor says that much is proved by his own experience of almost being written off as a child after a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Now he would like nothing more than for others to draw inspiration from how he has defied past expectations of what he might become.

He confesses that he never imagined he would “be around long enough” to be installed as mayor when he was first elected to South Ribble Borough Council a decade ago.

But now the Farington East representative is looking forward to a year of mixing the traditional and the modern as he discharges his duties in the ceremonial role.