HERDING sheep across London Bridge has been added to the Marlow Mayor’s to do list after she was bestowed with the Freedom of the City of London last week.
Suzanne Brown was nominated for the prestigious title after discussing her charity work with City of London Alderman Andrew Parmley at this year’s Swan Upping festival.
The Mayor was summoned to London’s Guildhall on Friday to be presented with the title of Freeman, one of the oldest city traditions dating back nearly 800 years.
And she joins an impressive company of London legends to receive the coveted honour, including Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill.
She said: "I met Andrew Parmley at this year’s Swan Upping. We got on really well and started talking about charity work, because being a freeman is all about charity.
"He said was going to give me the Freedom of the City and I honestly thought he was joking . Then when I got it through the post and thought wow, it’s actually going to happen. It’s amazing really."
Cllr Brown was joined by a coachload of friends, family and supporters from Marlow for the short ceremony at the Guildhall near St Paul’s, in the heart of the old walled city.
The certificate was presented by Chris Bilsland, Chamberlain of the Court of Common Council for the City of London.
Famously, a Freeman wins the right to drive livestock across London Bridge, and Cllr Brown is keen to exercise her entitlement as a charity fundraising event in the future.
"I’d definitely like to do it," she said. "Not many people can do it and I hope I can get buses full of people from Marlow there for it and raise a lot of money for charity at the same time."
Cllr Brown was awarded the title for her charity work, which includes running Marlow Age Concern.
It is one of her two nominated charities for the year, with Marlow Rowing Club and its rebuilding effort named the other beneficiary of her mayoral fundraising.
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