PORTRAITS of much-loved and well respected former councillor Maelor Williams have been unveiled at his local community hall.
The two paintings of Maelor, who represented Stainton and Thornton on Middlesbrough Council until his death last year, are now proudly on display in Stainton Memorial Hall.
They were produced by Verna Reynolds and Ian Harrison who are members of the local art group which meets in the venue.
A commemorative tea held in the hall brought together 60 residents of Stainton and Thornton to celebrate the life of Maelor, who represented the ward on Middlesbrough Council and was also Parish Council chairman for over 20 years.
On the same day as the unveilings, Stainton Wood was also officially renamed Maelor’s Wood with new signage put in place.
The proposal for renaming was put forward by the parish and community councils of Stainton and Thornton in recognition of Cllr Williams’ leading role in the planting of the wood in the late 1990s.
Alan Liddle, Chairman of Stainton & Thornton Parish Council and The Friends of Stainton & Thornton Green Spaces, said: “I think it’s a fitting memorial to a true gentleman that really cared about the area in which he served as councillor.”
Middlesbrough Council agreed to the renaming of the wood at a meeting of full council last month. The suggestion was welcomed by Middlesbrough
Mayor Dave Budd, who described Maelor as a “true gentleman, well liked and respected by anyone who met him and much missed by all in the Council and by those in the Stainton and Thornton ward.”