A FORMER St Ives mayor is to meet the Queen after his years of service as a councillor were cut short by cancer.
Colin Sanger, mayor in 2009-10, spent decades serving his community on St Ives Town Council, but in early February doctors discovered a rare cancer in his right leg and told him it had to be amputated to save his life.
Now it has been revealed he has been invited to act as consort to the current mayor as he greets the Queen during her visit on May 17.
The invite came from outgoing mayor Ron Tulley, who will head the party that greets the Queen as she steps off the Royal Train at St Ives.
Mr Tulley said: "Colin has been my consort on so many occasions before so it was fitting after all that he has been through."
The Queen will arrive in St Ives on Friday, May 17, and then visit the RNLI lifeboat house where she will unveil a plaque to commemorate her visit. She will then move on to Tate St Ives to view plans for its expansion.
In February Mr Sanger, 70, was diagnosed with cancer with four months left as a councillor. Two weeks later his leg was amputated in Plymouth.
The former councillor said meeting the Queen would be an honour: "I'm quite humbled, really. I've accompanied Ron Tulley on many occasions during his two-year reign.
"I've met many people as a councillor and a photographer and as mayor, but this is special. I've been resigned from the town council for nearly three months, so I was quite humbled and surprised – but delighted."
Since his diagnosis, Mr Sanger said he had had "fantastic" treatment at the hands of the NHS both in Plymouth and later at St Ives' "beloved" Edward Hain Hospital.
See letters, page 26.
