Walmley's special tribute to community man Jeff Gilbert
Family and friends gathered to remember a passionate community man as a bench was unveiled in his honour last week.
Jeff Gilbert, who died last year after a battle with leukaemia, was described as ‘the unofficial Mayor of Walmley’.
There was a determination within the village that his memory will live on through a number of tributes and memorials.
The first of these has now been put in place with Royal Sutton Coldfield Town installing a bench in Walmley Village, opposite where Jeff’s Useful Shop, which he ran until retiring three years ago, used to be.
Town councillors John Cooper, Terry Wood and Derrick Griffin presented the bench to Jeff’s partner Robin and family, who also planted spring bulbs nearby.
The vicar of St Johns, Walmley, Reverend Adrian Evans, also gave a blessing and said: “Bless all who spend time on Jeff’s bench.
“Bless those who find peace and refreshment here, those who meet a friend, old or new, and anyone feeling sad that they might hope here, those who are old or young, and bless every conversation that takes place here.”
Sutton’s mayor, Councillor Wood had previously said: “Jeff (pictured above) was a very good man, who worked tirelessly for Walmley Village and was extremely well known through Jeff’s Useful shop.
"His legacy will include all his work at New Hall Valley, New Hall Mill and Jones’s Wood.
“He was a valued member of the Sutton in Bloom working party. He was a friend and I will miss him dearly.”
Other ideas are being progressed to remember Jeff including the naming of an orchard and copse in New Hall Valley in his honour as well as the resident supported request to rename Village Way after him.
Stuart Moffatt, from Friends of Jones’s Wood, added: “Jeff is missed by all who knew him and will be fondly remembered for all he did for the community during his life by the proposed memorials.”
