Broad Street Wrington Web Archive
Annual Parish Meeting 
Friday, 27th April, 2007
This year's annual meeting was held in the Redhill village hall in recognition that the parish of Wrington includes Redhill and Downside - and, of course, Bristol Airport - as much as it does the village of Wrington itself.

The meeting was also the last one to be presided over by
Roy Clements, who had decided not to stand again as a councillor in this year's local elections. The occasion was marked by a presentation, kept under wraps until smuggled in by Terry Yearsley, Clerk to the Council, who, like Roy, was 'calling it a day'.
Vice-chair, Echo Irving made the presentation to Roy and his wife, June, to both of whom she delivered a 'few well-chosen words'.
"Roy became chairman in 1991, so by my calculations, he has served for 16 years – considering our chairmen are elected annually – that is a pretty good record.

The Council he has presided over has changed out of all recognition. I was elected a couple of years previously under Mr McKenzie Collins’s chairmanship.

I was only the third woman on the council. We have in fact become a much more modern pro-active Council.
Although we have all pushed for this, it is Roy’s relaxed style of chairmanship which has made it possible. Roy has never tried to do everything – he is never the Corporal in ‘Dad’s Army’! I would guess that, quite early on he assessed his strengths and weaknesses and encouraged all of us, with our variety of skills, to fill the gaps.

I have been immensely impressed with his calmness and good humour at meetings. I cannot recollect ever having seen him visibly annoyed. That is quite a record! I have enjoyed being his Vice Chairwoman.
When we started to sound out what Roy might like for a leaving present, I have to say that I never for a moment guessed that this very practical farmer had a yen for something as exotic and impractical as a Monkey Puzzle Tree!

But Roy, this is what I am assured you really, really want! It is slow growing so may you live to see it tower over the bungalow!"