WELCOMING the President of the United States to Newport gave councillor Matthew Evans an extraordinary year as the city’s mayor.

Cllr Evans described last year’s Nato Summit as a “major highlight” of his time in the role which gave him the opportunity to meet the likes of President Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Prince Charles.

“It was all a bit of a surreal experience”, he said. “I also got to thank them for coming down to the city and introduce the schoolchildren to them.”

As the 342nd mayor of Newport, Cllr Evans and his deputy David Atwell have attended more than 400 events over the year and raised £42,000 for his chosen charities Teenage Cancer Trust and the Newport Sea Cadets.

“There are so many highlights”, Cllr Evans said: “Just after I became mayor, we had the Big Splash and they were filming the video for 'Happy'. My terrible dancing was featured in the video and I think that was seen by a few thousand people. There's the novelty of seeing a mayor dance.”

Cllr Evans hailed the city’s volunteers as the “unsung heroes” of Newport saying the sheer numbers of people and organisations who give up their time was the biggest surprise of the year.

He added: “I didn’t realise how many volunteers and groups there are around the city who just get on and support their communities.

“The people who clear up, volunteer at a local establishment for people who have got mental health issues and those who raise money for all sorts of organisations.

“Quite often there’s some very negative comments about the city, we don’t appreciate the people that are doing an admirable job.”

Cllr Evans said he sees a future for the mayoral role and believes Newport has the right system with it being based on who is the longest-serving councillor who hasn’t been mayor before.

He is also the first mayor in Newport to have a twitter account.

“I think it’s seen a new generation of people following and being interesting in the mayor," he said. “I’m amazed at how many people follow the account.

“I think people thought all the mayor does is go out for big dinners but I hope it shows more than that.”

This year’s charity totals give £32,000 to Teenage Cancer Trust and £11,000 to the Newport Sea Cadets.

“I think I’ve been surprised by the generosity and the willingness to support me,” cllr Evans said.

“The Gala Charity Dinner we had, over 300 of Newport’s finest attended. It generated a significant income.

“At military events, veterans have been handing me £5 towards my charities – I have been touched by people’s generosity.

“I think I’d like to continue to help the Teenage Cancer Trust in any way I can. Having visited the unit on a number of occasions and met people like teenager Emily Clark [who battled cancer], I’d like to try and help and promote them and support them.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have had this opportunity. I think every local politician wants the best for Newport, wants to see Newport thrive. It’s exciting times, there are plenty of schemes in the pipeline, it’s something we all want to see.

“I will miss it, I’d be more than happy to do another year.”