Wish you were in a position to make a difference in your town? For Watton residents, that chance has come.

The town council suffered heavy losses at its annual town meeting on May 10, seeing resignations from three councillors and bringing the total membership down to 11.

In total there are now four vacancies on the council following a previous resignation.

In order to fill the gaps left by councillors John Rogers, Richard Crabtree and former mayor Ken Birch, new mayor Beryl Bunning has issued a call to arms to people of all ages and all backgrounds in the town to stand for a seat.

Mrs Bunning said she wanted to 'draw all the community together', including younger people and those of other nationalities.

'I would like us to work together rather than as separate little groups,' she said.

'We need to combine our resources, particularly for the youth of the town.

'The town council want to open their arms to the community of Watton and I believe that on the council we should have some younger people and people of other nationalities who have come to the town. They would be a big asset.'

Keith Gilbert, a town councillor for over 30 years, said: 'If you feel there is something wrong in the town, join the council, get involved and try to get it sorted, because without councillors we cannot do it.

'We need people who are keen and want to do things rather than just talk about doing things.'

Mrs Bunning's chosen charities for her mayoral year reflect her wish to work for the town – the Queen's Hall in Watton and local charity the Charlotte Harvey Trust.

'It's important for them to get funding from us as these are facilities in the town that we need to maintain,' she said.

'It's about making Watton a better place to live in, because it is a lovely little town. We never seem to get the pots of money that the other market towns get, but we have always been a town with a 'do it ourselves' attitude.'

Michael Wassell, Breckland councillor for Watton, said it was an opportunity for people in Watton to 'make a difference and have their opinion noted'.

If you are interested in becoming a town councillor, drop into the town council office in Middle Street, call 01953 881007 (Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm), or email clerk@wattontowncouncil.gov.uk.