WIMBORNE’S new mayor was unable to attend an annual coffee morning in aid of the town’s In Bloom committee at the weekend.

However, Councillor Andy Hampton made the decision to send his best replacement – 11-year-old daughter Alisha, who not only helped throughout the morning, but also drew the raffle.

The mayor has chosen Wimborne in Bloom as one of his nominated charities for the year, and Alisha said she enjoyed her brief stint as mayor.

“It was really good fun,” the Allenbourn Middle School pupil said.

“I was there for about one or two hours. I think I’d like to be mayor one day, but there are a lot of things to be worried about. I do think it would be an amazing achievement to be mayor.”

The youngster, who is set to attend Parkstone Grammar School in September, said she would certainly consider taking on her dad’s role again in the future.

“I have been to some of the Wimborne in Bloom events before and everyone is always very kind,” she said.

“But I’ve not done anything like this where I was centre stage before so I was quite excited about it.”

Proud dad Cllr Hampton, who is believed to be Wimborne’s second-youngest mayor, said: “She did really well.

“My wife and I were in Salisbury for the mayor making, so Alisha went along with her grandma, who is on the committee. She has got a lovely way about her and cheeky smile and she was the perfect choice.”

The coffee morning raised £409 for the campaign.