THE new chair of North Yorkshire County Council has pledged to continue the work to champion the role of volunteers across the region’s communities.

Val Arnold said her focus for the year ahead was to continue to support volunteers “who give such a tremendous amount of their skills, time and devotion to improving the life of others.”

Cllr Arnold, who represents the Kirkbymoorside ward, is herself a volunteer at Helmsley and Kirkbymoorside libraries, as well as at Helmsley Arts Centre. She is also president of the local WI and older people’s champion for Ryedale.

“I am very much a community person and as a councillor over the years have worked very hard to understand and support community issues and initiatives,” she said.

“As we move forward as a county council, our job is to sustain and strengthen our communities as partners in the delivery of high-quality services and the work of volunteers is crucial to that.”

Cllr Arnold has been a county councillor for the last 15 years, is chair of the Ryedale area committee and is a member of the health, young people’s and corporate and partnership scrutiny committees. She also sits on North Yorkshire’s Fire and Rescue Authority.

She intends to build on work championing volunteers started by her predecessor in the chair, Cllr David Jeffels, and to continue the annual community awards scheme, which was established last year.