The outgoing mayor of Ely surprised an Ely charity with a donation of £1,300 at their latest meeting.

Councillor Richard Hobbs, who will step down from his role as Mayor of Ely next month, gave the Pos+Ability group a cheque for £1,300 at their sixth annual meeting.

The money was raised from the mayor’s ball which was held at The Maltings in February.

Cllr Hobbs also spoke of his campaign during the year to make Ely more dementia aware, saying: “I wanted people to feel comfortable in Ely. I believe we have had a lot of success but there is still an awful lot to do, but we’ll get there.”

At the meeting, Pos+Ability reported on a positive year with a successful new session in Soham, adding to Ely, Littleport and Histon.

“We’re here to stay” was the message from chairwoman Linda Neate, who added that the group is always looking for new clients to benefit from chair-bound exercises to help in the recovery from strokes.

Pos+Ability’s classes aim to support people who have survived a stroke, or are living with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis as well as neurological illnesses.