THE chief officer of Bolton Council for Voluntary Service has been honoured at a farewell ceremony.

Alison Hill, who has been in charge of the group for the last six years, met with civic dignitaries and volunteer leaders at a reception to bid farewell to the town.

Mayor of Bolton Cllr Prentice Howarth was among those who paid tribute to her hard work in bringing together volunteer groups from across Bolton.

The CVS offers support, advice, training and information for voluntary organisations. Ms Hill, aged 38, will start a new job in Wrexham, North Wales, with another volunteer group.

At the farewell bash, she thanked those she had worked with during her time as the head of BCVS.

"It's been a fabulous privilege to work with the CVS in Bolton," she said. "The people in this room do nothing but serve their communities and they are the best people you could ever wish to meet.

"It's sad to be leaving the job but living in Wales means it's very hard for me to commute to Bolton but I'm sure it will be left in very capable hands."