Special bench unveiled for popular Halesowen businessman
A special memorial to Halesowen businessman Tony Billingham has been unveiled in the town centre.
The plaque dedicated to the late Tony Billingham features on a new bench sponsored by Halesowen and Rowley Regis Rotary Club, of which he was a member for 37 years.
Tony, who ran a string of care homes, died at home aged 81, surrounded by family in October, after a short battle with cancer.
Tony was also a past president and youth exchange officer at the Ritary Club as well as a founding member of Halesowen Business Improvement District (BID) and a member of Halesowen In Bloom.
He ran Lapal House Care Home and Grange Hill House in Halesowen as well as Beechcroft Residential Home in Oldbury and continued to work throughout the pandemic.
The bench was officially unveiled in Somers Square on Sunday by friends and family, including Tony’s wife of 58 years, Pam, who said: "This is a wonderful tribute to my husband. He would have been humbled and thrilled to have been honoured in this way, as he was a Halesowen man through and through.”
It is latest of 10 such benches to appear in the town centre, sponsored by local organisations as part of a BID initiative and features Rotary-coloured artwork by local artist Jane Elder.
Halesowen and Rowley Regis Rotary Club secretary, Sue Hannaford, said: “Tony was a larger-than-life figure in the town. He was born and bred Halesowen and lived and breathed Halesowen. He had always wanted a presence for Rotary within the town so it seemed fitting to sponsor one."
“We had the bench on order and Tony knew about it but it was just a shame he didn’t live to see it because he would have loved it. We decided the best way for the Rotary Club to commemorate him was to put a commemorative plaque on the bench."
Halesowen MP James Morris, said: "This is a fitting tribute to a man who made a huge contribution to Halesowen. He was a true gentleman and friend and was committed to improving the town."
