A TRADITIONAL ceremony which sees Oxford’s new Lord Mayor handed the chain of office will be held in public for the first time.

Mary Clarkson will be presented with her robes and gold chain at the start of this year’s Lord Mayor’s Parade on Monday.

After the historic ceremony, the parade will leave Oxford Castle and head through Bonn Square, Carfax and High Street, to finish at the Botanic Garden.

The parade will conclude Bonn Week, a programme of events celebrating Oxford’s links with its German twin city.

Ms Clarkson said: “In previous years, the robing has taken place in the Mayor’s Parlour in the town hall and very few people get to see it.

“This year, members of the public will be able to watch, and hopefully that will make them feel more involved with the city’s traditions. Our guests from Bonn will also be able to see what happens.”

Ms Clarkson said she was stunned to hear that Susanna Pressel, the outgoing Lord Mayor, attended 600 public engagements in her year of office.

She said: “I think Susanna must have broken the record as Lord Mayor for attending public events, but I have four quite young children so I don’t think I will be able to match that.

“I’m really looking forward to my year in office and will call on the support of the deputy Lord Mayor and the Sheriff when I need it.”

The ceremony will start at 11.30am in the courtyard next to Oxford Castle Unlocked, off New Road.

Families at the event will see the robing of Ms Clarkson, followed by that of John Goddard as deputy Lord Mayor, and Elise Benjamin as Sheriff.

Following the parade, there will be a picnic in the Botanic Garden, with music, dancers, stalls and children’s activities.

On Friday, Bonn Square’s official opening ceremony will take place as part of Bonn Week.

During the ceremony, a bronze sculpture of two piles of books by Boars Hill artist Diana Bell will be unveiled at the back of the square.

The Lord Mayor’s Parade has been dogged by controversy in recent years.

In 2007, drivers complained that it held up traffic and in 2005 the event was criticised as a let-down after the council took over the running of the parade from Oxford Isis Lions Club.