I wanted to share a little about my journey and involvement in the Newton Aycliffe community. We moved from Brandon to Newton Aycliffe to start work at B.X.L. Chemicals, after travelling for a year.
We moved to Newton Aycliffe in 1965, on Easter Saturday, it was snowing that day! With my wife Maud and our two children at the time, Julie and George, we began a new chapter.
I became interested in local politics and started going along to meetings as a member of the public. Eventually, I was co-opted onto Newton Aycliffe Town Council in January 1990 and have been elected every year since. This is now my 35th year as a town councillor.
I was made Mayor in 1992/93, raising £5,000 for Motor Neurone Disease. Later, I raised another £3,000 for the Heart Foundation as Town Mayor, for the second time.
I was elected to Sedgefield Borough Council on 4th May 1995 and served until 2009, when it was disbanded and all went to Durham County Council. My scheme then took up its land, now known as the Tesco way space. Now it stands on in Newton Aycliffe.
Once again, as Mayor of the Sedgefield Borough, I managed to raise £20,000 for Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer (£10,000 each). After devoting 14 years to Sedgefield Borough Council, I was granted the title of Honorary Alderman on the 16th March 2009.
I was elected to Durham County Council on 5th May 2005 and served until 2008. During this time I acted as Vice Chair of Highways and, during my time, I was able to install 32 drop kerbs to assist disabled residents and an additional 14 bays of off street parking, which was sorely needed at the time.
I was re-elected to Newton Aycliffe Town Council on 2nd May 2013 and also 6th May 2021 and have served a combined total of 35 years as a local councillor. In the past I have served in the St. Johns Ambulance Corps for 50 years and received the honour of Serving Brother from the Queen.
As a local Town and County Councillor I have always felt it was my duty to not just serve, but deliver what the town and people require, this means taking the time to listen to the people I represent and pushing tirelessly to achieve these goals. You can count on my experience and understanding of local government and my commitment to the people I represent is unwavering and as strong as ever.
I want to posthumously thank Syd Howarth for printing the banner under which I stood for election twelve years ago, as this has reduced the amount of paper and waste that usually goes hand in hand with elections.
Alderman George C Gray.