• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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Agreement to Rename Woodland ‘Maelor’s Wood’

Screen Shot 2016-05-13 at 15.37.19A MIDDLESBROUGH woodland will be renamed in honour of a popular councillor who died last year aged 77.

Stainton Wood will now become Maelor’s Wood as a tribute to Councillor Maelor Williams who represented the Stainton and Thornton ward from 1999 until his death in March 2015.

The renaming of the wood was proposed by Stainton and Thornton Parish Council and the idea has now been agreed by a full meeting of Middlesbrough Council.

Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd, who has described Maelor as a “true gentleman, well liked and respected by anyone who met him” spoke first at the meeting.

He said: “I think we all knew how important Maelor was to Stainton and how important Stainton was to Maelor. This is a fitting recognition to a man who deeply cared not only about Stainton but about the town as well. I wholeheartedly support this suggestion.”

Cllr Tom Mawston, of the Marton Independent Group, said: “Councillor Williams was a friend for 25 years. Stainton and Thornton was very important to Maelor and the parish council was very important to him.

“Middlesbrough was equally as important to Maelor, despite him being from Wales. He was very Welsh but also very Middlesbrough and very Stainton and Thornton. I would like to thank the parish council for putting this proposal forward.”

Conservative group leader Cllr Chris Hobson added: “I would just like to say that I wholeheartedly support this. I think it is a very, very lovely thing to do and Maelor was a lovely, lovely person – very genuine. I worked very well with him and I really do support this – I think it’s brilliant.”

The wood is owned by Middlesbrough Council and Councillor Williams, as a governor of Tees Forest, helped plant the wood in the late 1990s.

By admin