by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
New Dorchester Mayor Les Fry will highlight his own cancer diagnosis during his year in office to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
The independent councillor, a former Police Inspector, takes on the office from Cllr Andy Canning who highlighted his Parkinson’s diagnosis throughout his year in a similar way to raise awareness – admitting that at times it had been a tough year for him.
Both councillors paid tributes to their partners and families at Monday evening’s mayor-making ceremony in the Corn Exchange.
Both also spoke of the county town’s sense of community and the many volunteers across a wide range of organisations which they said made Dorchester such a great place to live.
But there was also a reminder that more could be done to make it even more vibrant, including welcoming immigrants and tackling some of the empty businesses – possibly with new uses.
“Having so many closed shops has a detrimental effect – new ideas will be more than welcome to raise the town centre profile,” said Cllr Fry.
Cllr Fry was elected to both Dorset Council and Dorchester Town Council in 2019 as an Independent Councillor and re-elected in 2024 with an increased majority. He is currently leader of the Independent for Dorset group on Dorset Council and the unitary authority’s Vice Chair.
Both Cllr Fry and wife Julie, who becomes Mayoress, are holders of the British Empire Medal for their community work – locally and abroad.
Mr Fry moved away from the family farm in 1990 to join Dorset Police, serving between 2003 and 2012 as the Section Commander for Dorchester & Sherborne, retiring in 2018 when was the Custody Inspector based in Weymouth.
He told the Corn Exchange audience, which included his four sons and their families, that while he enjoyed catching criminals he found greater pleasure in helping victims.
Cllr Molly Rennie, who proposed him for Mayor, referred in her nomination to Cllr Fry’s non-stop work to help in the community, from setting up a Covid support group, working with Rotary, helping with the half-marathon and Park Run as well as the youth and community centre and the town’s annual beer festival.
“It’s hard to say no to Les – he gives so much of himself. He and Julie will be amazing ambassadors for the our town,” said Cllr Rennie.
His charities for the year will be Prostate Cancer UK, the town youth and community centre and People First, which works with and for people with learning difficulties.
