Portrait of city's first Lord Mayor unveiled

Councillor Jacqui Rayment said she felt "very emotional" that members of the public had fundraised for the portrait

A portrait of a city's first Lord Mayor has been unveiled after local people raised funds to pay for it.

A painting of councillor Jacqui Rayment, the first Lord Mayor of Southampton, has been placed next to one of Lucia Foster Welch, the city's first female mayor.

Councillors and local residents gathered in the city's civic centre to see the artwork unveiled.

Wendy Stokes, from the Bevois Mount History group, which fundraised for the piece, said it was an "important legacy" that should be recognised.

The piece was unveiled at Southampton Civic Centre

"You only get the first Lord Mayor of a city once and we felt it should be commemorated in some way," Ms Stokes said.

She added that Ms Rayment, who is councillor for Bevois, was "a hardworking and active councillor and she really deserves this".

The group raised £4,000 for the portrait using the Crowdfunder website.

Ms Rayment was made Southampton's first Lord Mayor in 2022, after the city successfully applied for Lord Mayor status as part of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition.

She held the position until May 2023.

Her image now sits alongside Lucia Foster Welch, who was elected as mayor in 1927.

Ms Rayment was made Southampton's first Lord Mayor in 2022

Ms Rayment praised the local artist behind the piece, Martin Davey, and joked: "I look a bit like my grandmother".

She said she felt "very emotional" and "humble" that members of the public had fundraised for this for her.

She added that to be placed alongside Ms Foster Welch, who was an active part of the Suffragist movement "just goes to prove how far we've come in society".

While looking at the portrait she reflected on her time as the Lord Mayor.

"If a girl from Southampton, who isn't special in any way, can actually get to that sort of height and be recognised by the Queen then anyone can do it," she said.

Lord Mayor is the title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign.

In the UK it is a purely ceremonial post.

Councillor Dave Shields is the current Lord Mayor of Southampton and has held the position since May.