Mike became involved in Rowhedge life when he joined the Parish Council in the late 1990s, as Councillor for the Cherry Tree Ward. He soon became interested in issues outside Cherry Tree and in particular the developments which were taking place on the waterfront. By 2000, the council was trying to secure public riverside access and a site for a heritage building, as part of an agreement with the Redrow, the developer of the scrapyard site. In spite of various negative voices, both within the Parish Council and from outside, Mike was a staunch supporter of this idea. He was also enthusiastic about the proposed building that had been designed by local architect Neil Collyer for the site.
In 2004 the Rowhedge Heritage Trust was formed as an independent organisation to support the project. As a charity, the RHT could raise funds from sources not available to the council. Mike became one of its founding Trustees and its first Chairman , a role which he retained for the first five years. One of the highlights of Mike’s period of office was opening the Heritage Hut in 2006, on the site adjacent to Lion Quay that had successfully been procured by the Parish Council. The hut, a converted Portacabin, was to have a temporary role as information centre and fund-raiser for the project to build a more permanent Riverside Heritage Centre.
Mike (centre) watches as County Councillor John Jowers opens the bridge, and goes on to officially open the Hut on the adjacent quayside. The smack William is in the background.
But in spite of the success of the hut – as a charity shop, exhibition venue, and a café selling tea and cakes – which raised many thousands of pounds over the following five years of Mike’s chairmanship, the RHT was in for a very stressful time. A campaign was started in the village, opposing the creation of the Heritage Centre, which led to delays and ultimately abandonment of the project. But through these darkest hours, Mike remained at the helm of the Trust, and we were all hugely grateful for his continued optimism and support.
Although Mike and his wife Norma moved away from Rowhedge in 2014, shortly before his resignation from the Trustees, they both continued to take a close interest in the RHT, and it was a great pleasure to welcome them to the first of our annual Archive Exhibitions held in the Village Hall in 2018. And whilst it is a pity that the original aim of the RHT, for which Mike led us nearly 30 years ago, was not achieved, other diverse activities have blossomed of which we can all be proud. We will always be grateful to Mike as a founder member and for his huge contribution to what has now become part of Rowhedge village life.
Mike receives a tankard and framed photo on his retirement from the RHT in 2015. Taken outside the Heritage Hut on Lion Quay, with his wife Norma by his side.
