Outgoing Mayor of Peterborough Marco Cereste gives one piece of advice to successor Judy Fox

Each year a long-serving Peterborough councillor is presented with the honour of becoming mayor of the city.

On May 19, Cllr Marco Cereste handed his mayoral chain over to Cllr Judy Fox to mark the end of his term of office.

Cllr Cereste said it had been an “incredible honour” to serve as the Mayor of Peterborough and he would encourage other councillors to take up the opportunity when it comes.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about his time as mayor, he said: “It’s been very busy. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and meeting people. The people we have in this city are amazing.”

Born in Bovino in Italy in 1950, Cllr Cereste arrived in Peterborough during Coronation week in 1953 and has lived there ever since.

He spent 25 years working for the NHS, including as chair of NHS Peterborough, and has held a number of other important roles in the city, notably as leader of Peterborough City Council and now as mayor.

Touching on the past year, Cllr Cereste said: “I made a point of going to any community events I was invited to. I met Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Macedonians, Indian and Pakistani communities and a lot of other people.

“It was great fun, a real experience and it was hard work.”

The Mayor of Peterborough chooses charities close to their heart which they raise money for throughout the year.

Cllr Cereste believes more than £40,000 has been raised for his chosen charities, which include Anna’s Hope, Cambridgeshire Children’s Hospital and The Salvation Army.

The 74-year-old said one thing that struck him becoming mayor was the respect and love he received from the public compared to when he just served as a councillor.

“I don’t know how many thousands of photographs I’ve taken with people whilst the mayor,” he said.

“It’s a job that every councillor should do eventually because it demonstrates that actually we are not disliked as much as we think we are.”

Giving some advice to new mayor Cllr Judy Fox, he said: “I would say to her: don’t overdo it, because you can overdo it.

“Enjoy what you’re doing is what I say because the moment you stop enjoying it you might as well not do it.”

Aside from politics, Cllr Cereste has established a group of companies that span sectors as diverse as property development, renewable energy and child care.

In 1990 the Italian government awarded him the rank of Cavaliere or ‘Knight’ and in 2001 he was awarded the rank of Cavaliere Ufficiale or ‘Officer Knight’. And he was recently awarded one of Italy’s highest honours – La Stella Doro Della Soledarieta Italiana, First Class.

He is believed to be the first person of Italian ethnicity to be elected mayor of a British city.

While pleased to have represented his Italian roots as mayor, he said: “I’m proud to have been mayor of the city for a year and even more proud to have grown up in this city to be honest.

“I’ve watched Peterborough grow, thrive and develop. Yes, it has its problems, but no more than other places and it’s got potential to be a really tremendous city.”

Cllr Cereste said his favourite part of being mayor was attending citenzship ceremonies and spending time with people, particularly with children and the elderly.

The Hampton Vale ward councillor said he has no plans to step away from politics any time soon and will prepare to stand for re-election in 2026.