Padworth Parish Council chairman retires after 42 years of service

Friends, fellow councillors and Padworth residents came together to honour a man who has retired from the village's parish council after 42 years of service.

80-year-old Mike Warner, of Rectory Road, Padworth, who has been Padworth Parish Council chairman for the last five years, was joined by those closest to him to celebrate his retirement at a special drinks reception at Padworth Village Hall on Monday evening.

The event was well attended, with district and parish councillors present, as well as a friend of Mr Warner who came all the way from Sheffield to congratulate him.

In a speech, Mr Warner said: “I have always thought it as a privilege to act on behalf of the residents of Padworth, and I’ve been very grateful for what we’ve been able to do.

“I’m sure I’m probably going to miss it.”

Born on a Shropshire farm in 1942, Michael Warner gained a love of nature and wildlife during his childhood which would lead him to becoming a forester and horticulturalist in later life.

After working in Tanzania for five years, he moved to Aldermaston in 1970 to work in a foresting company.

Former vice-chairman of the parish council John Miller said: “He is a fund of information with anything to do with the countryside, and I want to personally congratulate him on that because if I need to know anything about the garden or the trees, he’s always available on the telephone.”

He soon met his wife Lois, whom he married in 1972. The pair recently celebrated their golden marriage anniversary.

In 1976, the pair moved to the Rectory Road house in Padworth they still live in today.

Mr Warner was moved to join Padworth Parish Council in 1980 because both of his parents had been involved in local politics.

“I didn’t think I ought to join the parish council or should join the parish council; I actually wanted to join it”, he said.

As well as his 42 years on the council (serving five years as chairman and five years as vice-chairman), Mr Warner has also been on the Padworth Commons Committee for 44 years, something he is still an active member of.

He has also been the chairman of the village hall committee for five years, a custodian of the Padworth Parochial Charity for 15 years, and he played an active part on creating the parish magazine for a period of five years.

As well as this, he also inaugurated the local Neighbourhood Watch and has been its coordinator for 30 years, and he was a church warden at Padworth’s St John the Baptist Church for five years and a sidesman there for 30.

Since retiring from work at the age of 72, Mr Warner spends a lot of his time tending to his 3-acre garden.

He said: “I’ll quite happily spend five or six hours a day, seven days a week, gardening.”

Robert Jones, the new chairman who succeeded Mr Warner, presented him with a gift of a Royal Horticultural Society membership to thank him for his continued and dedicated service to the parish.

A plaque placed within the village hall honouring Mr Warner’s service was also unveiled at the event, and it reads: “Presented to Mike Warner in recognition of an incredible 42 years of service to the local community.”