THE children from St Andrew’s Primary School swarm around him as our group makes its way back to the Mayor’s Parlour in Bolton Town Hall.

They have just spilled out of a pantomime at Festival Hall when they spot the impressive costume and entourage.

“Lofty! Lofty!” is the excited cry as they mob the Wanderers’ mascot, Snow White and her seven dwarves long forgotten.

Their teachers try their best to restore order, but the sight of Amir Khan, who is walking with Lofty the Lion, is distracting.

For perhaps the first time during his year in office, Bolton’s First Citizen, has to play not even second, but third fiddle. Thankfully, Cllr Anthony Connell is not the sort of man to mind, especially when the pair are helping launch his Mayor’s Mile charity appeal.

Spending a morning with the mayor and mayoress, Maureen Connell, gives a small insight into what it’s like to take on roles which, although steeped in history — Bolton was the second town in Britain to be allowed a mayor after London in 1838 — are not often fully understood.

“One little lad said to me, ‘Are you the King?’” Cllr Connell said.

“I said, ‘the King can’t make it today, so he sent me instead’.”

It is clear that meeting people is a key part of the Connells’ jobs, and one which they regard as a perk, not a chore.

It is just as well; the mayor and mayoress attend about 500 appointments a year.

Cllr Connell said: “It has been busy, especially these last two or three weeks.

“We’ve had about three Sundays off since May, when we try to see family. Our children call themselves ‘the orphans of the mayor’.”

On the day of our visit, the mayor and mayoress had six engagements. First up was the visit of Rachel White, assistant manager of Co-Op Travel in Corporation Street.

Customers had donated cuddly toys for children spending Christmas in the Royal Bolton Hospital and the mayor and mayoress also gave some.

Then, it was on to the launch of the Mayor’s Mile, a sponsored walk around the Reebok Stadium.

A photoshoot with Amir and Lofty was done on the town hall steps and before long crowds of shoppers with camera-phones spot boxer, mascot and mayor.

Luckily, a policeman and a police community support officer, who was slightly starstruck, were on hand to keep the crowds at bay.

The mayor and mayoress’s next engagement was a Christmas buffet at JIGSAW, a group in Little Lever, where the Connells are from, that organises social nights and trips for people recovering from strokes.

In May, the mayor will hand over the chains of office to another councillor and will return to politics.

Cllr Connell said: “We have enjoyed it, just as lots of previous mayors said we would.

“We have met such a wide range of people that we’re more aware of all the community groups and volunteer organisations out there who do a lot of good work. They are the unsung heroes really.”