Barnet's new mayor may be small in height but when it comes to politics and community work, she has a big history.

Gill Sargeant, councillor for Colindale since 1994, will be sworn in as Mayor next week and the former drug rehabilitation worker, who lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb, is excited about the year ahead.

'I've always been interested in politics as I come from a very political family,' said Mrs Sargeant, a management consultant, whose husband Malcolm is a former Barnet councillor and father Robert Sheldon is Labour MP for Ashton under Lyme.

'We've been having political discussions since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I find it all fascinating ,, I don't think you could do this job if you didn't,' she added.

The new mayor's pet projects are employment generation in Colindale and community development in Grahame Park. She is also keen on education and housing issues ,, she is chairman of the Barnet housing scrutiny commission and a governor at Colindale's Orion Junior School.

She takes up the chain of command on Tuesday when she will announce her charity for the year. But she wasn't giving away any early secrets: 'I can't give it away yet but it was something I thought very hard about. There were so many organisations I wanted to support,' she said.

If you would like to contact the new mayor to invite her to an event, call 020 8359 2000.