On the occasion of her installation as Mayor of Douglas in May 2017 Councillor Debbie Pitts said: ‘I hope to carry on the strong family tradition and make my own mark on the role of Mayor and local politics.’

Her 12 months in office proved beyond a doubt that she achieved her goal and continued the legacy from her late mother Dott Pitts and father Councillor Stephen Pitts as first citizen of Douglas.

She also said she wanted ‘the doors of Douglas Town Hall to be open to as many people as we can'. During her year in office she, supported by her mayoress Linda Curphey, welcomed a host of guests to the town hall and connected with the community of Douglas and the Isle of Man to great effect. She showed great interest in people from all walks of life and all generations, especially children and young adults, promoting the work of the Council and serving as an accomplished ambassador for the Isle of Man. 

Her interest and support of local charities was such that, with the help of volunteers and her fundraising committee, she succeeded in raising £23,706 for the mayoral chafrity appeal, with the largest donations - £10,000 each - going to Rebecca House and Dot's Dream Foundation. 

Reflecting on her time spent as Mayor she said it had been 'a wonderful and exciting year' and the highlight had been 'showing Douglas and our town hall off to the best of my ability'. She went on: 'We built strong links with schools and charities, also other local authorities' and that to serve as Mayor had been 'well worth taking a dip out of the political arena for 12 months'.

A packed programme of events saw her hang from the edge of a cliff under the watchful eye of the Douglas Coastguard crew, clamber into a JCB, walk with dinosaurs, paint Nativity rocks, get drenched at the opening of Noble's Park new Splash Zone and much more.

Below is a snapshot of her many engagements.

• Installation as Mayor of Douglas
• Civic Sunday
• Meeting 3FM
• Tynwald Day 2017
• A visit to Liverpool Town Hall
• Celebrating a 106th birthday
• Supporting Housing Matters
• Celebrating with the Isle of Man Chinese Association
• Launching the 2017 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
• Touring the Hyperbaric Chamber
• Remembrance Sunday
• Switching on the Christmas Lights
• Launching the start of work on Noble's Park new Splash Zone
• Highlighting the 'hidden homeless'
• Flying a flag for the Commonwealth
• Hosting the Mayor's annual business lunch
• Wishing finance director Geoff Bolt a happy retirement
• Hosting a fundraising ball in aid of the mayoral charity appeal
• Experiencing 'life on the edge' with Douglas Coastguard
• Promoting the need to recycle more
• 'Walking with dinosaurs'
• Supporting the Douglas Bra Dash
• Raising £23,706 for local charities
• Getting drenched at the opening of Noble's Park Splash Zone