The new mayor of Woodbridge is to follow in the footsteps of her famous ancestor as she takes up the town’s top job.

Sue Bale has succeeded Patrick Gillard in the role at the Woodbridge Town Council following the town’s annual general meeting on May 12.

Ms Bale has been on the council for the past two years, representing the Kyson Ward.

She was brought up in nearby Little Bealings and went to primary school in Woodbridge, before getting married there to her husband, Jeremy.

The new role will see Ms Bale follow in the footsteps of her relation Elizabeth Garret Anderson who became the first female mayor in England when she took over in Aldeburgh in 1908.

The pair share a common relation making them sixth cousins.

Ms Bale said she was excited to take on the role despite the difficult time.

She said: “This is a great honour for me – a born and bred Suffolk girl.

“But these are unusual times and our focus now is to help local residents during the Covid-19 crisis.

“I am very proud of the Council’s recent initiative to set up an Emergency Response Group.

“I like to think my ancestor, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, would have been proud of our Town Council.”