Haydn Thomas Retires After 40 Years Service to Local Party
October 30, 2004 10:12 AM
Haydn Thomas
At Thursday night's Annual General Meeting of Kenilworth Liberal Democrats, Haydn Thomas retired as local branch chairman, to be replaced by John Whitehouse who has served as vice-chairman for the previous year.
Haydn Thomas arrived in Kenilworth with his wife Enys in 1961, and became chairman of the local Liberal party in 1964. He has contested every council election since that date. Kenilworth Liberals achieved their first councillor in 1973 (Helen Dore), and the following year Haydn was elected to the district council for the first time.
Since then, apart from one three-year period, he has represented the people of Kenilworth with distinction at town, district and county council level. Less well known to local people, perhaps, he has also fought three general elections as parliamentary candidate, the last of these being in Birmingham Hodge Hill where he secured 10,000 votes - a portent perhaps for this year's parliamentary by-election there, when Lib Dem challenger Nicola Davies came within 500 votes of winning this previously safe Labour seat.
Speaking at the AGM, Haydn Thomas urged local Lib Dem members to keep campaigning and keep fighting, and also to beware of other parties pinching our good ideas! He said:
"Our first campaigns back in 1964 were to get better services from the district council for the people of Kenilworth, and to promote the idea of town twinning. Now in the local paper last week I read that 40 years later the local Tories are pushing the same ideas."
He continued:
"I shall miss the involvement in the local party as chairman, but it's time to hand over to someone who can carry it forward to new achievements. I wish John Whitehouse and the new committee every success in the future."
John Whitehouse
John Whitehouse said:
"It's a great honour to be asked to follow such a distinguished leader of the local Liberal Democrats. I have known Haydn since my early SDP days in 1981, when he and his late wife Enys were already an established force here in the town. As the new chairman, I shall seek to build on his achievements."
Long-standing member Eric Deal reminded colleagues of a previous local election when Haydn had used CB (citizens' band) radio as a campaigning weapon, with a "Jolly Green Giant" handle! Other members also added their recollections and thanks to Haydn for everything he had done for the local party.
At the AGM, members elected the following officers for 2005:
Chair: John Whitehouse
Vice Chair: Cllr. Dave Shilton
Treasurer: Richard Sweeney
Secretary: Cllr. Ann Blacklock
Membership Secretary: Peter Hodgkinson
Notes:
Haydn Thomas (77) retired as Director of Nurse Education in 1983, having spent his working career in the health service. During his long service as town, district and county councillor he has been Mayor of Kenilworth in 1995, and Chair of Warwick District Council in 2002/3. He has been active in the West Midlands Regional Committee and with the National Committee of the Liberal Democrats. Locally he has been involved with many local societies and charitable organisations over the years, notably the Kenilworth Lions and the Kenilworth Carnival Committee.
John Whitehouse (58) and wife Ann have lived in Kenilworth since 1979. They have three grown-up children, and two grandchildren - both of whom live in the town. John is a retired senior manager in the international automotive business. He joined the SDP (Social Democratic Party) soon after its launch in 1981, and acted as the local parliamentary agent in the 1983 general election. He re-joined the local Liberal Democrats at the beginning of 2003, and in May 2003 stood as a Lib Dem district council candidate in St. John's ward, and town council candidate in Abbey ward.
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