HELEN Kennedy is currently the Mayor of Bollington Town Council. In between her demanding role as mayor of the Happy Valley, the mother-of-three works for BC Transport as an accounts administrator.

Helen lives on Shrigley Road with husband Peter Kennedy, 38, a practice manager at a solicitors in Manchester, and their children Eva, eight, Lily, seven, and five-year-old Isaac.

The 37-year-old was born in Oldham and is one of six children.

After living in Whaley Bridge, the couple became Bollington bound six years ago and have not looked back.

With Helen not busy overseeing a town council meeting at the Bollington Town Hall headquarters this week, we managed to catch up for a five minute chat to find out all about her likes and dislikes.

The best thing about Macclesfield is... Bollington! It’s not known as the Happy Valley by coincidence. For such a small town it’s incredible how much is going on with so many talented people willing to give their time and expertise to make things happen for everyone’s benefit.

The worst thing about Macclesfield is... The loss of Macclesfield Borough Council and borough mayor as of May 2009. It’s served us well and will be missed.

My favourite place in Macclesfield is... The top of Shuttlingsloe. I completed the Three Peaks Challenge in 2006 and we spent many an afternoon there as part of our training. This is a wonderful area for walking and climbing and the views from the top are truly spectacular.

Ideally I would spend everyday... With my three children. Life is always so busy and time moves on so quickly that I’m sure they’ll be grown up with their own lives before I know it. I’d like to spend as much time as I can with them whilst they’re young and carefree.

My favourite night out is... Nothing can beat a fabulous Italian meal at Briscola in Bollington. Enrula the owner and the rest of the staff always make it a special night. The food is superb! I would follow this with a short stroll to the arts centre to be entertained by the North’s best comedians.

The best holiday I’ve been on was... A camping trip with Pete and the kids just outside Venice in 2006. Despite sleeping on a rock hard floor whilst surrounded by mosquitos, and three days of torrential rain, we had a fantastic time. Great food and relaxation and one big adventure for the children.

If money was no object I would... Sponsor Bollington Festival 2009. This is such an important event in Bollington’s calendar, which relies on sponsorship.

My one piece of advice would be... To ‘get involved’! It’s amazing how much of a difference people can make to a community and how much satisfaction and enjoyment you can get by knowing that you’ve played a small part in making where you live a good place to be.

My first job was... Working on Tommyfield market, Oldham, for my Uncle Lance when I was 14. He sold M & S seconds and I had to fold up hundreds of knickers and vests into banana boxes every Friday and Saturday for £10 per week. My arms used to ache – some of those knickers were BIG!!

If I could do one thing again it would be... To get married. Don’t worry Pete – I do mean to you again. The cliche of your wedding day being the best day of your life really was true for me. I would love to do it again, with no expense spared this time. I’m just not too sure that I can still get into the dress!

What I am reading now is... ‘The Devil wears Prada’, embarrassingly enough – my excuse is that I’m finishing off my holiday books.

On my CD player is... I suppose I ought to say something fairly highbrow, but if I’m honest I usually prefer a bit of cheesy pop, so it’s more likely to be Madonna or Kylie.

My favourite TV show is... The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and anything with Ant and Dec in it! You’ll find me and my family sat in front of the box with our Chinese takeaway every Saturday night from now until the finals at Christmas.

My biggest inspiration has been... My mum. She showed me throughout her life how important I was to her and I always felt that she was proud of me. I hope I can be as good a mum to my three children.

If I could invite anyone round for tea it would be... Pious. Our children’s school is twinned with Makonge School in Uganda and we have sponsored Pious, a boy from the school. We write to each other and exchange photos, but would love to meet him in person.