Jim Long – Obituary
It was with great sorrow and shock that we learnt of the death of our fellow Councillor Jim Long on 15th March, following a road traffic accident on the A456 as he returned home after the March Parish Council meeting. Throughout the 30+ years that Jim had lived in Blakedown, Jim was a dedicated and hardworking member of the community and of the Parish Council. It was Jim who instigated the development of the Neighbourhood Plan, who started the ball rolling to rescue and reposition the Signal Box, and who galvanised volunteers to develop a Local List of protected buildings and characteristics, and we can thank him as well for the litter bins and the programme of regular grass cutting in the villages. Involved in Planning and Development issues, he worked tirelessly to represent residents’ interests in contentious planning applications, getting to grips with the technicalities of Planning Law, liaising with District and County Councillors and officials, and always ambitious to preserve, enhance and improve our villages as a great place to live. His major achievement was to be the founding member of the successful Churchill and Blakedown History Society, with regular monthly talks from visiting lecturers, and increasingly popular bi-monthly coffee mornings in the Signal Box. He was active, committed, tenacious and proud to be part of Churchill and Blakedown. He made a huge contribution, and he will be very missed. Our thoughts are with his wife Vicki, and his family at this very difficult time.
C&BPC Chairman, Brian Hession & fellow councillors.