TRIBUTES have been paid to ‘age friendly’ pioneer and founder of Melksham & District Seniors Forum 55+, Brian Warwick, who died on 23rd December, at the age of 89.
The local stalwart, who was know for his passion and campaigning to improve the lives of older people.
Brian moved to Melksham over 30 years ago, where he quickly became involved in the community.
As well as founding the popular ‘Melksham Seniors’ group, he also established the Melksham Seniors Film club; was a founder member of the Melksham Access Group; was the Older Person’s Champion for Wiltshire Council acting as an advisor on issues affecting ageing people; was a governor of a local school for children with special needs; was a former local councillor and chair of the Regional Community Health Council; and was a passionate supporter of helping vulnerable and disabled people in the area for over 30 years.
In 2018 he was awarded a certificate for his long and dedicated service to Wiltshire by leader of Wiltshire Council, Baroness Scott, for his 30 years of serving the community.
One of his biggest achievements was helping to steer Melksham to become the first rural town in the country to join the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities in 2018.
The landmark moment followed months of campaigning by Brian and the Melksham age-friendly steering group, which aimed to make changes and improvements to the town to ensure that people of all ages can actively participate in the community.
On behalf of the Melksham Seniors group, Terri Welch told Melksham News, “Brian has done a huge amount for the community, especially the older people in Melksham – from canvassing in the south-west on behalf of the seniors in the town, through to providing entertainment to people living in care homes and throughout the town.
“And ‘Age Friendly’ would not exist in Melksham without Brian’s input, he was the first person to hear about the scheme and invited speakers to the town to talk about the possibilities for Melksham. He will be greatly missed.”
Brian was married to his wife Beryl for 64 years. Together they had two children – Allan Warwick and Jacqueline Doidge, who died over two years ago – and six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Pictured, Brian with an award from Wiltshire Council for his services as Wiltshire’s Older Person’s Champion.
