A woman originally from Oxfordshire has become the mayor of a small community in northern France.
Maureen Searle, who is 72 years old, assumed the position earlier this year after winning local elections in Mont-Saint-Éloi.
She had been living in the village since 2000, having relocated there alongside her British husband more than twenty years ago.
Prior to taking on the top leadership role, she had served as deputy mayor.
Her election made her the first woman from Britain to govern the village.
Her father was employed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, an organisation that maintains war cemeteries.
The area surrounding Arras holds extensive burial grounds for British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during the First World War.
Considerable resistance emerged during her campaign, with some residents expressing the view that the position should not be held by someone who was not French.
The nickname L’Anglaise was used to refer to her during the contested period.
Despite this opposition, she secured an overwhelming victory at the polls.
Her professional background included work as a pharmacist and as a teacher of the English language.
She spent her formative years in Oxfordshire before living abroad with her husband in various countries.
The couple eventually made their permanent home in Mont-Saint-Éloi, where she obtained citizenship and entered local politics.
The village lies approximately 45 minutes by car from Lille and roughly 15 minutes from Arras.
The most notable feature of the locality is the damaged Abbey of Mont-Saint-Éloi, whose paired towers stand prominently above the nearby landscape.
The abbey originated in the medieval era and continues to attract visitors to the area.